


Wandering By Starlight

by XenoWolfe



Category: Death Note
Genre: AHAHAHA, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fluff, Human!L, L is a little shit, Light is so done with humanity, M/M, Star!Light, Stardust AU, sky pirates!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-18
Updated: 2016-04-23
Packaged: 2018-05-27 11:09:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 33,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6282271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XenoWolfe/pseuds/XenoWolfe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Long, long ago, in a kingdom forgotten by the people of our world, an impending disaster unfolds. The greed of the Kiras spell Stormhold's doom, and the next in line to the throne threatens to tear apart the kingdom from within. Added to the mix is a newly fallen star with a hatred of humanity and a dangerous thirst for justice. How can an outsider from the tiny village of Wall save the kingdom of Stormhold?</p><p>This is the story of a boy who catches a fallen star, and teaches it the meaning of redemption.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beyond the Border

**Author's Note:**

> Woah it's about time I posted this :D So this first chapter has been sitting in my drafts for AGES since I wasn't so sure it was good enough quite yet. Eventually I told myself to stop being chicken and just post the damn thing. So here's to hoping you readers enjoy my hot-pockets-at-3-am-induced brainfart. There will be Death Notes and Shinigami in this fic, but as you'll come to see, they aren't quite the same as their Canon!Verse counterparts! Watch out!
> 
> Oh! and special shoutout to dnfanfictionrecs on tumblr for giving me her blessing to start this crazy adventure! Love your blog :))
> 
> Enough with this friggin long A/N! Let's get on with the story!

_This world… is rotten._

_It is a fact that a lone star had observed one evening, many centuries ago. Earth was home to a very special kind of monster: humanity. They were as savage and depraved as any beast could become. They held no empathy for their own kind. They started wars as they saw fit, and killed without a second thought for their own gain. It was as if greed came as easily to them as breathing._

_Not only that; they stole, lied and corrupted each other. There were times when the star wanted to scream at them for being so petty and malicious. There were times when he could not bear to watch and instead averted his gaze, opting instead to talk to his sister Sayu to distract himself from the carnage and suffering that happened below him. And yet, to any nearby starwho observed him, it seemed as if he was drawn close to these frustrating creatures, hypnotized by their mysterious allure._

_But he would not always feel anger towards humanity. Sometimes, on rare moments, he would catch a lone human looking up at the night sky. And he would feel a peculiar, warm feeling coursing through his very being. It confused him when he felt it for the first time, for he had thought all humans were barbarians unable to think a single rational thought._

_This human had wished upon a star, and given their shattered hopes and dreams to the wind._

_And oh, would he hear them, the only audience to a silent yearning. Wishes to guide a lost loved one, a prayer to protect their home from marauders, a yearning for a family long gone…the star knew what they were really asking him. These were good people, different from the others, who wanted the guidance of a caring and intelligent individual. And so this star had a foolish thought: What these humans all wanted—no, needed— more than anything in the world, was something that they would never have. They needed a loving God in an unjust world, someone who would protect these special humans from being corrupted by the wickedness of their own kind._

_The star thanked the heavens that he was not down there with the pitiful humans, the ones who looked up skywards to seek an answer from the featureless and empty void. He bemoaned his inability to do anything to change humanity, but he was resigned to his fate as a passive observer._

_And so, when the foolish humans started their war with the Shinigami, inadvertently killing hundreds of innocent and peaceful people, the star had enough of their evil. He turned away, vowing never to set his sight back on Earth and the treacherous, murderous creatures that inhabited its surface. But everything changed when the star fell—to Earth, and into the waiting arms of a boy with hair as wild as the unpredictable sky and eyes as black as the darkest night._

~~~~~~~~

There was a wall that stood between a small village and a lush green meadow. It was an unremarkable wall; only standing at least ten feet high, made of dusty and hastily cobbled stone blocks that were left to crumble in neglect and bake in the summer heat. No one knew for certain how long the wall had been there, and no one could agree on what its exact purpose was.

Along the wall that divided the village and the meadow was a small gap that offered a breathtaking view of what lay beyond. For the inhabitants of the village, the ones that spared time to glance past the wall’s opening, the meadow was a place that offered an escape from the banalities of day-to-day life.

 In spring, the meadow was a seemingly endless field filled with lush green grass that reached halfway up the knees, fragrant wildflowers in every color imaginable, and tall trees with branches that touched the sky. At night, the meadow shed its peaceful facade to reveal its startling brilliance. In the darkness, the meadow gave way to a choir of chirping crickets and croaking frogs and set the night ablaze with the light of a thousand fireflies. The gap in the wall that offered a glimpse to the meadow was certainly big enough for a person to pass through, a tempting thing to do for the tired and bored villagers that lived near it.

It is then unfortunate that there was only one thing that prevented these curious people from reaching the quiet meadow. It was a man who stood guard at the wall’s gap for as long as he lived, preventing anyone from ever crossing over to the meadow, or more ominously, anyone from the meadow to reach _them._ The tiny cottage the man lived in had been in his family for generations, and the wall’s only gap ran straight through his backyard. It was as if the man’s family had defined their entire existence around this wall. This man’s ancestors have passed the task of guarding this seemingly insignificant gap from descendant to descendant, which left many to speculate on what was really on the other side of the wall.

Anyone who had heard of the wall’s guardians had a theory.

 _“Maybe they’re keeping watch over the meadow to repay a debt_ ,” one observer remarked _. “Perhaps the land belongs to another family.”_

 _“Or perhaps they are trying to guard their family heirlooms?”_ another suggests. _“Maybe they are hiding their treasure in that meadow.”_

 _“No,”_ someone finally said. “ _Why would they keep watch over an ugly wall for generations? Their whole family is just delusional.”_ Though there were many rumors, the most spectacular one of them all was that the gap in the wall led to a place beyond comprehension, an unseen world that no one has yet heard of.

Years passed, and so the stories became whispers, and the whispers became legend. The meadow beyond the wall lay at the mercy of the sands of time, its secret all but forgotten save for the generations of guardians who kept an ever vigilant and watchful eye on the supposed gap between two worlds.

It is no wonder, then,that in the years to come the people of the aptly named village of Wall would come to regard the legend of a forgotten world as no more than a myth.

This is where our story begins, years and years after the star who had been watching humanity had turned his back on them.

                                                                                             ~~~~~~~~                                                                 

It was one chilly evening when everything started. It was an unusual night, where even the crickets and frogs were silent and not a ray of light from the fireflies could be seen.

The guardian of the wall kept his place near the gap, but it just so happens that on this particular night the man was feeling rather tired. For years he had been doing this rather thankless job, with no one to talk to and no one to appreciate his dedication to his family’s legacy. How would a person feel, spending most of his life unmoving at a single place, with nothing to preoccupy his thoughts save for the occasional bothersome fly that insisted on landing on his nose? Not even the peculiar new arrival to the village he befriended recently, a quiet old man who went by the name Watari, could save him from this exhausting task—

The man blinked as he felt cool droplets of water on his scalp. _It started drizzling. Great, just great._ Yes, his irritation was indeed justified.

For a brief moment the man wondered why his family had ever insisted on continuing to guarding the wall in the first place.No one had cared about crossing over to the meadow for as long as he could remember. The fantastical stories that he had heard from his grandfather and great-grandfather were faded memories that tickled the back of his mind. Never in his lifetime of guarding the wall had he ever experienced or even felt that the ordinary looking patch of land on the other side was anything more than a pretty picture for a postcard. He was more than a little disappointed.

He didn’t like to believe it, but there _were_ people who whispered behind his back, calling his family names so vicious and demeaning he didn’t even want to recall them in his mind. When his father passed away a few years ago, he became the last of the guardians. He was the sole surviving member of his family, cursed with the pitying looks and furtive glances of the other villagers for believing with all his heart and soul of the dangerously enchanting existence of the world beyond. _Sometimes,_ he thought with malice, _I want to cross this infernal barrier myself and prove once and for all to these idiots who of us was really right._

As the man continued internally debating on whether or not to leave his post for just one time, he failed to notice the hooded figure approaching him from beyond the gap.The figure in the distance was shrouded in darkness, as quiet as death. It trudged closer and closer, until the sound of wet grass being crushed under bare feet alerted him to the intruder’s presence.

The man’s eyes grew as wide as dinner plates. No one, _no one,_ has ever come from the meadow. Even the stories his grandfather had told him did not tell of anyone who had ever come from the other side. He was starting to think that the strange, magical world from beyond was barren, but standing before him was living, breathing proof of that his assumption was wrong. The person looked frantic, head darting about as if expecting that a great misfortune would befall them soon. He—she?—was dressed haphazardly in a dirty grey cloak and was clutching a basket close to him—her?—protectively, its contents hidden underneath a thick white blanket. Before the man could get a better look at what was in the basket, the person speaks.

“Please spare a moment for me, just a few minutes,” the hooded figure requests in a raspy voice. Slowly, the mysterious intruder slips off the hood that was covering his—her?—face.

The person standing on the other side of the gap was a young lady who stared back at him with hope. Her brown hair was long, wild and messy, like a shaggy sheepdog which was neglected its weekly brush and trim one too many times. Her face was pretty and frail, feminine and beautiful.  She had skin so pale it gleamed even under the dim light of a rainy evening. And her eyes… her eyes were what made it hard for him to look at her straight. They were bloodshot, like she had been crying lately, and she had deep bags under them, like she had not had a wink of sleep in a fortnight; but it was hard to notice that when her irises were a deep black, so dark it felt like you were drowning in a bottomless abyss.  All in all, it made for one strange sight.

A loud clap of thunder snapped the man snapped out of his daze. He coughed uncomfortably, realizing that he had been staring for far longer than socially acceptable. “Miss, I—I’m not permitted to allow you to enter the village. If I may ask, who are you, and what is your purpose in coming here? Never in my many years of guarding this wall did I ever come across anyone from beyond this border. I had assumed that no one lived there.”

The woman laughed, yet the sadness did not leave her eyes. “Oh, I assure you there are more people from where I came from. As for your other question, my name is Ella, but my identity does not matter. And my purpose in coming here would be made clear to you very, very soon.” The woman was silent once more, now studying the man. He squirmed under her unwavering gaze.

“Pray tell; what is your name, guardian of the wall?” she inquired.

“I’m Roger Ruvie,” said the man warily, wondering why this woman wanted to engage in small talk with him. Well, he did ask her a question though, so it seemed right she asked one in return.  “Pleased to meet your acquaintance.”

“Roger.” Ella smiled genuinely at the mention of his name, then leaned in as if she wanted to whisper in his ear. “There is something I must tell you, a secret that no one from your world has yet to know. The people from my side are no different from yours. Yet my world’s lifeblood is different: mine runs on the magic and mysticism of humans, and yours on their intelligence and rationality. This wall does not separate us, it is the representation of the two sides of humanity.”

Roger bristled from Ella’s words. _Another world._ “So my father, my grandfather, my great-grandfather, my entire family was right. There really are two separate worlds,” he whispered reverently.  The woman nodded.

“But what does this have to do with me?” he asked, confusion settling back on his face.

“Everything. I only have one thing I have to request from you.” She patted her basket, and Roger flinched in surprise as the blankets covering it shift suddenly. Was there an animal in there? “You, as the guardian of the wall, know best what happens when our two sides collide. It would bring chaos, death and destruction. The humans on both sides must never be permitted to come into contact with each other. But I am asking you to abandon your beliefs, if only for a little while, to appeal to your good judgment and your humanity.” To Roger’s surprise, the woman pulled back the white blanket covering the basket to reveal a small, sleeping baby with a head of wispy black hair. She kisses its cheek tenderly,and thrusts the basket through the gap in the Wall. Ella gazed expectantly at Roger.

“No, wait—” Roger stared at the basket that had been dropped into his hands. No, no, NO! He was horrible with children! God knows he didn’t get along with them! If this woman really meant what he thought she meant, he couldn’t help her—! Roger reluctantly tightens his grip on the basket, horror still evident on his face. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Roger, this is urgent. Take this child and raise him as if he is your own. It may not look like it now, but this child’s survival will decide the fate of my world. He might possibly be the only thing standing between peace and utter chaos. Here, on the other side, he would be hidden, untouchable and unseen. He is still young and has much to learn but I believe he shows great potential.”  The baby begins to stir as Ella ran a finger on its smooth, porcelain-white skin.

“Why does it have to be me?” he protested weakly.

She shook her head slowly. “I cannot take him anywhere else. His secret would not stay hidden for long in my world. I am being hunted by Shinigami, and it would not be long until they catch me with this child. And because of his lineage, I fear for his life in the hands the humans of my world as well. It has to be you; it can never be anyone else, because there is no one in your world that knows what lays beyond this gap except you and you alone.” The woman stood up, fear painting her features. “I can feel that the Shinigami will find me soon. Farewell, Roger Ruvie. Until we meet again.”As if in a trance, she turned around and wandered back through the meadow, letting herself get enveloped by the darkness.

“Wait! What do I do with him? Who are the Shinigami? How do you know things about my world!?” He had a million and one questions racing in his head, but it was no use. Ella did not turn around for his pleas of an explanation, and soon disappeared into the night.

“I don’t even know how to take care of this baby…” he trailed off.

Sighing, he glanced down it. The baby seemed to be fully awake now, its wide eyes taking in its surroundings.  Roger noted that it seemed to be confused, reaching a pudgy arm to grip the end of his wool coat. Did it somehow understand that it had been separated from Ella? Instead of crying, however, the baby opted to stare at the strange man who was carrying its basket. It did not even seem to care that it was raining, cool droplets of water splashing onto its determined face. Roger noted uneasily that it had the same disturbing eyes as the woman—who he now presumed as its mother.

He silently asked for Ella’s forgiveness. Though he had to admit the baby was cute, Roger could not possibly take him in. For one, he had a wall to watch, and it wasn’t the kind of job that he could leave at any time of the day to attend to a whiny child. Two, _he didn’t like children_ , if he hadn’t mentioned that enough times already. And three, how was he ever going to explain where it came from? He had never left the village of Wall in his entire life, and he never had any lasting affairs with any of the villagers.

No, he needed to ask someone who would be willing to look after a child.

Were there any people who could help him? Would anyone ever believe his outlandish story? Was there anyone in this godforsaken place who would accept such an enormous responsibility suddenly being thrust upon them?

The baby screamed, and Roger sighed again. It was time to reconsider his options. It was time, perhaps, to call one Mr. Watari.

~~~~~~~~

Quillish Wammy—or Watari as he is usually called—did not expect that he would become the surrogate father of an orphan boy. His first thought, upon first examining the strange baby that Roger presented to him, was that his eyes were unsettling and intelligent. His eyes were completely black and expressionless, yet oddly hypnotic;it made the boy almost impossible to read, for his emotions were not betrayed by them. If eyes were the supposed windows to the soul, the boy’s eyes would be akin to a window with the curtains drawn and the shades pulled down.

In fact, they were exactly the same as the eyes of the strange woman from the other world, but Watari wouldn’t be able to notice that. All he knew was that this was a boy he would look after and come to love, that he would pamper and protect, that he would come to teach him everything he had ever known.

Watari was once a famous inventor who roamed the countryside, bringing his inventions to where people needed it. His arrival often drew much cheering and celebration to the towns and cities he visited. He was known as a kind soul who would help anyone in need, whose hands tinkered with gears and screws and other metal parts so expertly as to appear almost superhuman in his ability to create working pieces of art. He took great joy in the work that he did, for he knew that his inventions brought prosperity to those who used them.

Now, he was a man in his old age and he could not keep up the frenzied lifestyle that he once had. Life under the public eye did not suit him well.As an aging man, his hands could barely catch up to his racing intellect. Watari could not anymore meet the needs of a demanding clientele,nor build as fast as his mind could think up ideas.

He did not want to face their accusations anymore. He hated the way they questioned why he built less and less marvelous gadgets and machines each year. He hated being called lazy and being unable to do the work he had once loved.So he packed up, and moved away from the city to escape people’s scrutiny, away from the constant reminders that he was not who he once was. And, lo and behold, he found the perfect place to spend the remainder of his life in peaceful solitude: the tiny, lonely village of Wall. It was a village still steeped in superstition and hearsay, and no one from this village had ever heard of Watari’s accomplishments in the distant land that he hailed from. Watari easily shed his real name and his former identity to make a quiet living working in a tiny repair shop that he had set up in the village.

His only regret was that he had left suddenly, too suddenly for him to pass on the responsibility for a project he considered his life’s true purpose. It would be foolish to come back to complete it now, for his disappearance would have surely been known immediately.

He had been in the middle of his preparations to set up an orphanage that would house prodigies; Watari had seen too many young genii whose potential was wasted because no one cared enough to cultivate it.It helped that Watari was like them.He was an orphan himself, but he was luckier than the others. He had wanted to give others like him a chance to truly thrive. Maybe, Watari once thought mournfully, he could have taken one of those orphans as his apprentice.

So when Watari had been offered a second chance at enriching the life of a child, he took it. He vowed to give him the best education and training anyone would ever receive. He would be there to watch this child’s talents blossom.

But he didn’t always feel that way, though. Watari smiled at the memory of when he first met this peculiar boy. He had not been in Wall for very long that fateful night, and if he were being honest with himself the only person he had ever truly befriended in the village was a man who lived quite close to his repair shop. This man lived in a tiny cottage further down a muddy dirt road, where the wall that the village was named after cut through his backyard.

Roger Ruvie was as strange as they say. Truth be told, he had heard of the harsh rumors that surrounded the man. That he was a recluse, that he was possessed, that he was a madman… there were so many colorful ways to tarnish the reputation of a broken man. He had learned of the legend of the wall and its guardians when he had first moved to Wall. While he thought it odd at first, he gradually grew to understand it as a charming folk tale and a tradition that had been passed down generations.

All Watari saw was a loyal and hardworking man who protected a family legacy. Roger did not strike him as someone unusual; he seemed to be an amiable man who happened to have a strange pastime. He first befriended Roger when he visited the wall, curious about the secrets the villagers supposedly said the wall had protected. When he encountered Roger at the gap, he had a pleasant chat with him, and soon he formed a habit of talking to Roger when he was not busy at the repair shop. But that was about the extent of their acquaintanceship. Watari certainly did not think he was any closer to Roger than any of the other villagers.

So it was to his surprise a little more than two decades ago that he saw the same man on his doorstep, disheveled and harried, looking worse for wear as his whole form trembled from the cold wind. He was utterly drenched and soaked to the bone with the freezing rain. As he moved to help Roger take off his woolen coat, he spotted a large brown basket hooked on his left forearm.

_“Good evening Roger,” Watari greeted him, quickly letting the man in so he could dry himself off. “Why are you in such a hurry? You don’t even have your umbrella with you and it is pouring right now. Is it alright for you to leave your post on such short notice?” he politely asked._

_“Forget about my post,” Roger replied quickly, not meeting his questioning gaze.Watari could not think of anything that came to mind that would be more important to Roger than guarding the wall’s gap. It must have been truly dire, he decided, if Roger deemed it necessary to desert his job to pay him a visit. “I apologize, Watari. I have something I must discuss with you.”_

_“And what might that be?” Watari asked warily._

_“Well, I seemed to have run into quite a dilemma.” With that, Roger glanced down at the basket in his arms. He motioned Watari to take a closer peek. When he finally saw what lay beneath the white sheets covering the basket, he gasped._

_“What on Earth—Roger, where did you find this child? Is he yours? Who—”_

_“No, no, Watari. He is not mine,” Roger reassured him, cutting him off before he could get more anxious. “But the child… I was paid a visit from a woman—from the other side of the wall. It was very strange. She left the child behind abruptly. I sat near the gap for half an hour hoping for her to come back. When it started raining, I knew I had to find shelter or risk having this poor child catch a cold.”_

_“The meadow?  I thought no one had lived there. You told me this.” Roger nodded, not meeting his eyes. Watari could see him fidgeting and twitching from the stress. “Roger, I need you to calm down and tell me everything. Start from the beginning.”_

_It took three cups of tea and a lot of coaxing, but as soon as Roger had settled down in one of Watari’s soft velvet couches the truth came pouring out not soon after. Watari listened intently to each and every detail of the story, until his mind could not wrap around the utterly bizarre story that Roger was telling him._

_“I’m sorry, Roger, but this story of yours… is very far-fetched. Are you sure this woman is not just a mad traveler who got terribly lost?”_

_“If it were, do you think she would have bothered to talk to me? To warn me? No, she would have left the baby without a single word. It doesn’t matter whether you believe it or not. What matters is what happens to the child Ella entrusted to me.” He gestured to the basket, which was now sitting on top of Watari’s dining table._

_“Why have you come to me, then? I hardly think I would be of much help solving the mystery of his missing parents. Or be of any help tracking them down, in fact.” Without thinking, Watari’s hand landed softly on the baby’s tiny head. The baby coos adorably as Watari glanced up at Roger._

_One look at Roger’s guilty expression made him jerk his hand back as if it had been burned. “No.”_

_“I need someone to look after him, Watari,” Roger begged._

_Watari’s face tightens. “I can’t, Roger. You must understand that I am too old to look after a child. Perhaps someone else may be more willing and able.” Watari chuckled as the baby rolled around in its basket._

_“Watari, I’m begging you! I don’t know who else to turn to. The child does not even have a name, the woman who had taken care of him has run off and no one else can look after him. Did you not tell me one day thatyou have always dreamed of setting up an orphanage? This is a child who is as good as an orphan, and you don’t want to help him?” Roger pleads desperately.” You have money and time on your hands. So please—”_

_“L,”Watari said, suddenly interrupting him mid-rant. His eyes have not yet left the baby’s basket._

_“Huh?” Roger asks confusedly. “What do you mean?”_

_“I said that the child should be named L. You said it did not have a name?”_

_“Elle?” Roger blinked. “After Ella? Watari, may I point out that this child is a boy? I do not mean to question your naming abilities, but he would be made fun of for having a girl’s name.”_

_Watari laughs. “No, not ‘Elle,’ my good friend. ‘L.’ As in the Greek letter Lambda. As in the twelfth letter of the English language. Although I cannot give him a feminine name, it seems pertinent to name him after his mother, yes?”Roger shifted uncomfortably._

_“I only assumed that he was his mother. They look alike.” With this, Watari steals a cursory glance at the infant in his arms. His eyelids were fluttering shut, obviously sleepy from having been kept awake at such a late hour. But when his eyes opened again, Watari stared at his young form. He was filled with a nameless feeling._

_The child had such deep eyes. Watari wasn’t usually a man who decided by instinct, but something in his gut made him hesitate to fully refuse custody of this child.Maybe there was a good reason for keeping him, and something tingling in the back of his mind was telling him something._ He might have potential. Everyone had potential that could be brought out. Who was I to decide the future of such an innocent, helpless infant? Who was I to think that this boy might be unworthy of his time and effort?

_“Anyway, Watari, if I may, I will take my leave. If you have refused my offer I will have to take this child to the village elders now. Maybe they would know how to deal with a missing child.” Roger sighed, defeated, grabbing the basket’s handle and turning to amble away. It would only be a few steps until he reaches Watari’s front door._

_Watari knew he had to say no, he was too old to contemplate raising a child by himself. It was one thing to build an orphanage, but it was quite another to raise children all by yourself. But looking at the boy’s sleeping form made his heart decide for him._

_“Wait! I—I will take care of this child.”_

And since then, the child—now christened L— had been in Watari’s care since then. Watari had indeed raised L like he was his own son; he taught L how to help out in the repair shop during the day and come nightfall, he would tell him stories about his day. L would read every single one of the dozens of books stacked in Watari’s bookshelf and teach himself how to do self repairs. One day, he would memorize every single part of a grandfather clock, from the gear train to the pendulum rod, and point out the parts excitedly to an amused Watari. Another day, he would take apart an adding machine and study its mechanism closely. He would then put it back together so meticulously that it worked as well as it did before; as if L had not just disemboweled the machine’s contents just moments ago. Watari could hardly keep up with L’s insatiable appetite for learning.It was no wonder that the other villagers regarded him as the smartest person in Wall.

 L had grown up to become a strange young man. Now, at the age of twenty-five, he was lean and lanky, all skin and bones, with spiky locks of ebony hair that stood up in every direction.  He had dark bags underneath his eyes because he had often forgone sleep in favor of helping himself to Watari’s books and drawing up complicated blueprints for every invention known to man. He was pale, almost deathly white, because he hardly ever bothered to leave Watari’s dimly lit repair shop, save for the occasional run to the local sweet shop. _I have everything I need right here,_ L often said. _Why bother?_ L also slumped when he was standing and crouched when he was sitting; like he did not feel safe until he was curling into himself. There were times when Watari wondered if L was protecting himself against something he himself could not see.

He still had those unsettling eyes.

L was Watari’s pride and joy, but sometimes he can be more than a handful for an aging former inventor. To Watari’s dismay and exasperation, L developed some very odd habits that he retained as an adult. An example would be his unnatural predilection towards sweets, which often made him demand Watari to fetch him snacks from the local sweet shop just so he could replenish his sugar levels. Another would be the way he acted as childish as possible, until he exuded such an intrusive _presence_ that you would forget why you doubted his judgment in the first place. He would go to any lengths just to hide his sharp intellect. But Watari often overlooked these flaws because L’s existence in his life gave him so much meaning.

Reminiscing made Watari smile. If he had not gone underground, and met L under different circumstances, he would certainly have been someone Watari would befriend and want to talk to. Even thought their meeting was coincidental, and yes, highly unconventional, Watari would not have taken it any other way if it meant that he would not meet him. It was just too bad he could not teach L the things he really wanted to teach him, or even tell him the truth about his past.

L would have made a fine apprentice.

 

~~~~~~~~

During this time, in a far-off world, the kingdom of Stormhold was undergoing a crisis of the highest proportions. King Luke Lawliet lay on his deathbed, sick and wheezing, having caught the dreaded plague that had already afflicted many of the peasants of his kingdom. It had eluded a cure from both the best witch doctors and faith healers, and there was nothing the kingdom could do but wait for the king’s death and blame him for being so caring as to visit the commoners from which he received it from.

Beyond Birthday, one of the esteemed advisers to the king, almost cackled in glee as he saw the numbers hovering directly above the king’s head count down to his demise. It wasn’t long now, until he was free; free to leave this wretched job, free to live his own life, free to watch the miserable kingdom of Stormhold fall into chaos with the ruling royal houses battling for control over the throne.

Eraldo Coil and Deneuve stood on either side of him, solemnly watching the king cough and wretch horribly. Beyond knew they were not like him; they could not see the name and the numbers above the king that told him everything, but they didn’t need to have his eyes to know the truth. Even they knew the king was obviously past saving and it would only be a matter of time before the inevitable would come to fruition.

Beyond was jolted out of his thoughts when the king raised a hand weakly. “My advisers, come. I seek your attention.”

Beyond inwardly rolled his eyes and steps forward in line with the other advisers. The idiot to the right of him, Deneuve, bowed lowly. “King Lawliet. How may we be of service to you?”

“You know that I—”The king went into another series of coughs, this time worse than the first. When the coughing subsided, he continued. “I’m...I am dying, correct? No, no. There is no need to deny it, Eraldo Coil. I have lived a fulfilling life.”  King Lawliet gives Eraldo a watery smile when he shook his head vigorously.

“My second wife, as you know, was barren. Almost twenty years we were married. Even though she bore me no children, I loved her dearly. Most of the royal houses of Stormhold, and indeed much of the peasantry, had first disapproved of my choice to stay with her after learning of her inability to bear children. I was devastated when she died a year ago, much too young and much too soon. I am forever grateful that you three still chose to support me throughout that difficult time.” the king paused, taking a deep breath.

“And so I shall tell you of one last secret. I shall not be choosing a successor among the noblemen of Stormhold. As king, I have the right to pick the most suitable heir to the throne, and not one of the nobles ofStormhold is fit to handle this responsibility.”

Beyond was just about to burst into laughter at the shocked faces of his fellow advisers. No noble would be permitted to become king? Priceless! It was even more hilarious outcome than having the Stormhold royal families battling for the throne!

“Nonetheless, the kingdom of Stormhold shall not continue on without a ruler. And this is why I have summoned you,” King Lawliet said conspiratorially, voice lowering to a whisper. “It is now time for me to tell you… that I have chosen you three as candidates to be heir to the throne.”

There was a beat before everything descended into anarchy.

“WHAT?!” yelled Eraldo and Deneuve at the same time. Beyond retreated several steps, his frazzled mind still putting together the confusing scene laid out before him. The King? Heirs? THEM?

“Your Majesty, with all due respect, we are less qualified than the nobility to run this kingdom! We are just mere advisers!” Eraldo Coil protested. “We know nothing of the proceedings which go on in Stormhold!”

“Nonsense. You all are more qualified than you think. Why do you think I appointed you as the court advisers? You all are the best of the best, the brightest minds this kingdom has to offer. You have been with me for many years and helped me on making choices that have decided the fate of my kingdom. Some of you have been here longer than many of the people who work in this castle,” the king said with a chuckle, looking at each one of them. Beyond could only hazard a guess as to how long Eraldo and Deneuve have been with the king, for he had only been appointed as an adviser two years ago. “I can only hope your experiences with me should help you to settle on what would be best for the kingdom of Stormhold.”

“But, Your Majesty, surely you have other blood-related relatives you may wish to bestow the crown on?” Denueve raises his eyebrows when the king shakes his head. “Did you and your first wife have a child, perhaps?”

King Lawliet’s eyes looked downcast as he answered him. “No… no, we did not.”

Beyond allowed himself a small moment of pity for the king. Ah, yes. King Lawliet’s first wife.  At times when King Lawliet had too much to drink, he would prattle on endlessly about her. _She was a lovely woman,_ the king had slurred one time, _a devoted wife so elegant and cultured she was the envy of all the other queens of the neighboring kingdoms._ The king had been young and deeply in love with her, but alas, her time wedded to the king was short. After only a few short years she had disappeared without a trace, never to be seen again. To many who speculated on the former queen’s fate, it was universally agreed on that she had suffered a fate under _their_ hands. Beyond shuddered, preferring not to dwell on thoughts of the Shinigami.

“Wait. We cannot all be king. You said we would be candidates, right? What exactly do you mean by that?” Eraldo asked.

“Well, yes. You are correct. Only one of you will be crowned king. So to choose the most suitable one of you, I wish to have you participate in a competition to determine who will become my eventual successor.”  The king coughs again, and Eraldo Coil and Deneuve exchange worried glances.

“Do you accept?” King Lawliet asked eventually.

A beat of silence.“If this is truly your wish, your Majesty, we agree to take on the responsibility,” Deneuve said softly, bowing at the same time as Eraldo Coil does. His entire form frozen, Beyond did not feel Eraldo’s bony elbow as it jabbed him in the ribs. Are they kidding? HELL NO! He wasn’t agreeing to this! A king’s job is utterly exhausting, and he was sick of all this royalty crap.Who would want to be king!?He won’t ever rest again. He’d have to work constantly, enact policies, and visit the imbeciles from the other royal houses. He’d have to put up with their nonsense and give them useless orders, and everyone would have to do everything he said, because if they didn’t he could…Beyond’s mind conjured up a lovely image of the Duke of the Northeast being set on fire as punishment.

Oh man. Wait. Screw leaving his job. He has a throne to win!

Beyond hadn’t said a single word during the entire conversation. “What kind of competition are we talking about?” he finally asked, ignoring Eraldo’s pointed glare. The king smiled.

“Ah, yes, the competition.” Sitting up with difficulty, the king slips his hand under his pillow and pulled out the most horrifying object in existence.All three advisers jumped back, suddenly fearful for their lives.

“Your Majesty! Why is that horrid thing in your possession? Wasn’t that locked in the most secure dungeon in the castle!? You even hired two knights to keep watch over it, for good reason! You must relieve yourself of it at once!” Deneuve makes a move as if to yank the offending object out of King Lawliet’s grasp, but is stopped by the king’s gentle hand pushing on his chest.

“Take a good, long look, gentlemen. Because what I have in my hand decides the future of Stormhold.”And with that, the three advisers got their second shock of the day.

What the king had in his hands was a simple-looking notebook with a black cover. Upon the seemingly ordinary notebook were two words that struck fear to any sane human: Death Note.

A Death Note.The stuff of living legend. Beyond knew the story well, like every other person in their world. A long time ago, longer than any human memory, a fearsome race called the Shinigami arrived from another realm. They wrought death and destruction wherever they went, but no one knew their true power until all the human kingdoms in the world had declared war on them for causing so much chaos within their borders.

Shinigami wielded terrifying weapons called Death Notes, weapons so powerful that it could end someone’s life with only a name and a face. Within weeks of the human kingdoms’ declaration of war, almost a quarter of the humanpopulation had died. Thousands more would have suffered the same fate were it not for King Lawliet’s brave ancestor who had stolen the Shinigami king’s Death Note, the source of power in which all other Death Notes draw from. Without the Shinigami king’s notebook, all the other Death Notes gradually lost their magic and became as useless as normal notebooks. With that, the humans quickly overwhelmed the Shinigami and won the war.

The Shinigami may not have their weapons anymore but they were not completely helpless. The Death Notes had originally made them practically invincible, feeding them the life force that they had stolen from their victims. They still did not die from sickness or old age, but now they were no harder to kill than an ordinary mortal. With most of their population in hiding, and being unable to reproduce, Shinigami were dwindling fast.

Beyond was sure that the notebook was the very same one that King Lawliet’s ancestor had taken many years ago. Before it was stolen, not much was known about how the Shinigami had claimed so many victims. Humans had seemed to drop dead suddenly or died quickly of an unknown disease. When the rules in the Death Note were translated from the Shinigami language to English, it made it easier for humans to win against the Shinigami who were already weakened by the theft of their king’s Death Note. The stolen notebook was the cause of much of the Shinigami’s fury against Stormhold. They held a grudge against the Royal Family of Stormhold and would do anything to spite them. They were probably the ones behind the disappearance of the king’s first wife.

Eraldo Coil and Deneuve were flabbergasted. “What would that… thing… have anything to do with becoming the heir of Stormhold?”

The king sighed. “When one of my forefathers had taken this notebook, he had sealed the outcome of the war against the Shinigami. This Death Note in my possession represents the safety of this kingdom. If you can prove to all of Stormhold that you are competent enough to protect it from even the most threatening weapon in existence, then you are the rightful heir to the throne.” King Lawliet’s mouth settles into a hard line. “The competition will be simple. This Death Note will be dropped in a random, unspecified location. The first one who finds this notebook will be my successor. ”

“When will this competition start?” Eraldo asked.

“Immediately. You will have no chance to make preparations,” The king said bluntly.

 Hearing the king’s words, Beyond could not resist the question that popped into his mind. “What if none of us find the Death Note, and the Shinigami take it before we do?” Beyond was startled as the king leveled a steely gaze at him.

“Then you all are even bigger fools than I have imagined. You will have doomed humanity to extinction, and none of you will ever deserve to be the heir to the throne,” King Lawliet replied ominously, his eyes never leaving Beyond.

Beyond breathed a tiny sigh of relief when the king’s eyes slide off him. “I believe it is time to send you off on your quest.” The whole room quieted as they waited in anticipation.

 _“Let it be known that the first of my rightful heirs who touches this notebook shall be declared as the king of Stormhold,”_ the king said, raising the black notebook high into the air. Beyond’s ears popped as he felt the thrum of the king’s powerful magic seal itself in the Death Note. With a flash, it leaves through the nearest open window.

And the notebook sailed upwards, disappearing into the dark night.

~~~~~~~~

To the people of both sides of the wall, stars were curious things, immortal and eternal, performing their silent dance across the sky every night and vanishing when the first hints of dawn showed. So it was a mesmerizing sight indeed, when the inhabitants of Wall and Stormhold witnessed what had transpired shortly after the Death Note had left the Earth’s atmosphere.

In the heavens, one stubborn star named Light sat unmoving as he argued with a fellow star about the distance of a black hole that seemed to have formed about a week ago. He was about to comment on the other star’s idiocy for miscalculating the speed of light when she shouted suddenly, motioning for him to look below.

 Light almost turned until he remembered what exactly was in that direction. _No way, never again. I swore I would never look—_

A mysterious object hit him at what seemed like a million miles per hour, and before he knew it, he was dislodged from his firm place in the sky and was sent careening downwards, into the land that was home to the creatures he so despised.

 _What was happening?_ Light was in a daze. He was tumbling down so fast he couldn’t even take a split second to take a glimpse at his surroundings. Off to his side, he spotted something falling in sync with him. But at this speed, it looked like a small black blur. _Is that the thing that had hit me?_ As Light fell, he realized that the last thing he needed to worry about was not the thing that had hit him, but rather, the very, _very_ solid ground that he would be meeting in a few seconds. Light closed his eyes, trying vaguely to recall what his mother had said about what had happened to the first of his kind to touch the ground.

He was not the only one to suffer this fate. Once there was a tale of a fallen star, a tale so old that it lived on as a story told to the little children of Stormhold. The star that had fallen to Earth was as beautiful and radiant as the sun, but her innocence had led to her downfall. As everyone got to know and love her, she drew jealous admirers and devious schemers. Eventually, she was kidnapped and found murdered, all because of a legend.

 _The heart of a fallen star was the key to gain life eternal,_ or so it went.

But maybe it was destined by fate; for had Light not promised himself to avoid looking down upon the Earth all those centuries ago, he might have been able to miss the collision course with the notebook that had only two words written upon its black cover.

_Death Note._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know if you guys want smut haha, it's not really my area but I'll try to deliver XD


	2. The Hunt Begins

L stood there, motionless and captivated. _This is it,_ he thought. _My chance to have my one true love._ L reached out a shy, tentative hand, inching closer and closer, until—

SMACK.

“Ow!” L cried as he withdrew his hand. A sharp, stabbing pain crawled up his forearm. As he cradled his stinging right hand with his left, Naomi looked on apologetically.

“Sorry, L,” Naomi said as she gripped the wooden spoon she hit L with tightly. “I’ve been scolded by Watari for giving you too many slices of cake without his permission. I’m not even supposed to let you in this shop at this hour.”

L eyed a piece of blueberry cheesecake mournfully. “Watari has said that I had reached my quota of cake for this week. If I make a request, he would surely reject it.”

“Why don’t you move out and live on your own then? You’re an adult, you don’t need Watari telling you everything you need to do.”

“Because it’s too much of a burden?” L’s deadpan expression made Naomi chuckle.

L supposed that Watari was only looking after his wellbeing, but it was hopeless for him to even try. L hadn’t really learned how to reel in his obsession for sweet things after all these years. If he didn’t have his sugar fix, he’d use whatever means necessary so he can get it—even if it meant sneaking into the only sweet and pastry shop for miles in the dead of night and practically _beg_ for measly portions.

The owner of the pastry shop was an intimidating man who glared at L if he so much as stayed in the shop for longer than five minutes. L had quickly memorized the hours he worked at the job so he could effectively avoid him.L wasn’t so surprised at his reaction though; a lot of people behave strangely when they first meet L. Naomi, a shop assistant and one of the shop owner’s daughters, was the only one kind enough to sneak him sweets, although L had to bribe her every time she brought something back for him. L obliges only because he’s desperate and sugar deprived.

Naomi sighed. “Look, I can’t give you a slice. The whole cheesecake is reserved for another customer. Tell you what, my shift is ending in ten minutes. I’ll take a few of the butterscotch candies on my way out.” L nodded, and left through the back door.

Ten short minutes pass and sure enough, the back door opens to reveal a Naomi no longer dressed in her typical uniform, with a bag—no doubt filled with candies—slung casually over his shoulder. As soon as Naomi handed him the bag, L quickly tore into its contents, barely remembering to unwrap the candy before stuffing it into his mouth. L groaned in pleasure.

With his sugar addiction finally sated, L could finally turn his attention to Naomi. “Thank you,” he said genuinely. Naomi laughed, shaking her head when L rummaged in his pocket for a few spare coins.

“I’ll call it even if you walk home with me,” she called over her back, strolling away. L crunched down on his mouthful of hard butterscotch candyand ran to catch up to her. “Think of it as payment for that favor I asked last week. Your house is in the same direction as mine, right?”

“Indeed.” They walked in silence for a few minutes, the only sound being the crinkle of candy wrappers being torn open. L had to eat them fast or risk being caught by Watari. _And that,_ L mused, _would be a real disaster._

“How are things with Raye Penber?” L asked, finally pausing long enough from his eating to address Naomi.

Naomi’s face darkened. L knew Raye Penber from Naomi’s stories about him, but he had never actually met the man. Raye was Naomi’s childhood sweetheart, but they had only been dating for a few months until they reached the first rocky patch in their relationship.

“We’re doing okay,” Naomi said shortly.

“And?” L prompted.

Naomi relented. “ _And,_ he still keeps on trying to force me to change my mind. If I want to leave my job in the pastry shop, it should be up to me! I was offered a high paying job in a city. I’ve wanted this job for years and my lodgings and food expenses would already be covered. Instead of celebrating with me, he sulked like a child and refused to talk to me for hours. Then he insulted me by telling me he would never support my decision. Why can’t he be happy for me? I am my own person, and I can make my own choices! I’m a grown adult! I don’t know why he has to be so cruel.” Naomi’s eyes were brimming with tears.

“Perhaps he does not want Naomi to leave him behind? You said he could get quite protective…” L edged away from Naomi, uncertain in how to deal with an emotional person.

“Really? The city is only a day away! I can visit him every week! He has nothing to worry about.” She shakes her head. “No, this is too much. He is strangling me. “

“Then you should tell him,” L advised. “Though I will be sad to see you go, Naomi.” Who, then, would bring him the sweets after she leaves?

“I can’t, L. I know he’s just afraid for me. He’s just that kind of person. But I can’t tell him I'm still planning to leave, or why I’m so angry with him. It would break his heart, and… I can’t find it in me to do that to him.”

“That is no excuse for trying to force someone to give up their aspirations.” L responded. In the corner of his eye, he spotted something impossibly bright shoot across the horizon, a blazing ray of light zipping by so quickly he almost missed it.. Naomi stopped in her tracks.

“Look, L, a falling star!”

L stared at her with amusement. “Naomi, there are no such things as falling stars. It is most probably a comet. It would pass Earth in a matter of minutes.” L frowned. For the life of him, he could not remember if a comet was scheduled to pass by the Earth that night. He usually knew; he had an astronomy phase when he was a child and until now would encircle days on the calendar where there would be blood moons and solar eclipses.

“Well, do comets usually do that?” L watched in astonishment as the “comet” dipped lower, and lower, and _lower,_ until it kissed the ground, in a forest far beyond the wall, seemingly exploding in a shower of light. L, for the first time in his life, stood up straight in rapt attention, abandoning his trademark slouch in favor of watching the confusing scene before him. _NO, comets never ever did anything like that. What on Earth is happening!?_

“Ah I was wrong. It was not a comet,” L decided. Naomi nodded in agreement. “It was a meteor.”

Naomi glared in irritation. “Why do you insist on it being anything BUT a star? There are stories of people finding them—”

“—that are wrong.” L finished for her. “They are idiots. If they have bothered to pick up an astronomy book they would know that stars are many light years away, where the gravity of the Earth is too weak to pull them closer to us. And besides, even they would have to admit they would not like an outcome in which a star was to ‘fall’ towards us. It would immediately boil away all the water of the oceans and scorch the planet’s surface. All life on Earth would be incinerated and the Earth would cease to be.”

“You know L, sometimes human knowledge can turn out to be very wrong.” Naomi lifts her gaze to the sky, no doubt making a silent wish. “What’s out there might surprise you.”

“So what Naomi means to say is… she’ll still go on believing it’s a star after everything I told her,” L said, quickly deciphering her cryptic words.

Naomi snickered. “Yes,” she said playfully, reveling in the childish pout L gave her. L and Naomi walked silently for another five minutes.

L tried and failed not to break the silence. “What would make Naomi change her mind?”

“Nothing.”

“You are being highly unreasonable,” L complained.

“Do I look like I care?” Naomi asked teasingly.

“Just admit it is not a star.”

“L, if I say no, I mean no.”

“What if I say ‘please?’”

“…Don’t ever try to make a cutesy face again, L. It doesn’t suit you, and frankly, it’s terrifying me.”

In no time at all, they reached her doorstep. Naomi pulled out her keys, about to enter her house, when L’s voice called out to her.

“Naomi, I wish to wager a bet.”

Naomi stepped away from her open front door. “I’m listening,” she told him.

“I will travel to the other side of the wall, to fetch what remains of this meteorite. Or fallen star, whatever it may be,” he amended, spotting the challenging gaze on Naomi’s face. “I shall analyze its contents and compare them with a sample from Watari’s collection of meteorite fragments. If its composition matches with that of the meteorite sample, I win, and Naomi has to accept that I was right. If it does not—and I highly doubt that scenario is possible—I will take back what I said. Naomi wins.”

Naomi chuckled. “Okay, I bite. Leave it to Watari to have a meteorite collection. What are the terms for this bet? What happens when either of us wins?”

L’s lips twitched upward. “Naomi will give me free access to your sweets and pastries for an entire year. It is up to her how she will explain this to her father.” Naomi rolls her eyes at his words. “ _Plus,_ she will tell Raye Penber how she really feels about him controlling her life choices.”

Naomi recoiled in horror. “No, L! Anything but that! Raye is the only important person in my life. If I tell him how I really feel about it, he might never speak to me again!”

“Are you afraid of being wrong?” L taunted. Naomi fell silent, shooting daggers at him. “Has it occurred to you that I am risking damage to my person if ever I choose to retrieve this meteorite, or star? Roger will not leave his spot near the wall’s gap easily. It is only just that you would have repercussions as well. In exchange, you may choose the consequence I will receive if I lose this little bet.”

L did not like the way Naomi’s eyes glinted.

“You will have to do all my repairs for free. For one whole year,” Naomi said deviously. “ _Plus,_ you only have a week to find this star, or else I would be the winner of this bet.”

L’s mouth gaped open. “Naomi, that is unfair! For me to walk that far and return in that amount of time is—”

“If I don’t impose a time limit, how long would you take to find the star? What if you never find it? I can’t wait forever for a bet to end in a draw. If you think that’s unfair, we can just call this whole thing stupid,” Naomi said with finality. “Take it or leave it.”

L pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. “Fine. I shall acquiesce to Naomi’s terms.”

“Then this is a deal.” Naomi nodded, turning back towards her front door, when a question popped into her mind. “Hey, L?”

“Yes?”

“Why do you even want to do this?” Naomi asked. “Couldn’t you just leave it a mystery?”

L gave her a rare smile. “Ah, don’t you know, Naomi? I am very childish, and I hate to lose.” Naomi gave him a questioning look before shutting the door.

The hunt was on.

~~~~~~~~

Ryuk was bored. So very, very, bored.

It’s been ages since he’d been able to see any action. He was a warrior, the best of the best of the Shinigami. He’d won countless battles and slaughtered many humans. He had laid siege to powerful kingdoms and was responsible for executing the most prideful kings and emperors in the most ruthless and creative ways possible. He was a high-ranking Shinigami with direct ties to their king. Here he was, a hero of the Shinigami, and yet he was reduced to being assigned to babysitting duties.

To _humans._ Frankly, it was insulting. He would rather die than think of the Kiras as his superiors.

Why the Shinigami king even thought up of the idea of “Kiras” was beyond him. Why would they need the help of their own enemy? They were puny, and they were as vulnerable as a dandelion flower. Why, one time he had grabbed one of them by the waist, intending to throw him, but Ryuk had squeezed him a little too tightly and he had burst like a bloody, meat-filled water balloon. It was hilarious at first, but it took the fun away from his death. It was just too easy.

 _But the king just_ had _to disagree,_ thought Ryuk sourly. He cursed the day when the first brave (read: idiotic) human had come knocking on the doors of the Shinigami, awed by their power and greedy to have a piece of it. The Shinigami King was suspicious, but the human had foolishly shown his face. So the king had readily agreed to let the human be assimilated into their ranks and become an honorary Shinigami, called a Kira. _If he outlived his usefulness,_ the king reasoned, _he would be easy to dispose of._

And it turned out to be a successful arrangement; the human who had been given a Death Note could kill the humans whose names the Shinigami did not know because they hid their faces. Oh, how the humans confused him. They both fascinated and repelled Ryuk. They wished for their own destruction yet rebelled against the idea of it. Humans who backstabbed someone who backstabbed them in return— all of that was so very normal for them.

Now, there were only three Kiras. New recruits have been scarce following the defeat of the Shinigami. Most of the old Kiras have been caught and executed for treason by their own kind. Others chose to flee the Shinigami themselves—which immediately earned them their name in the Death Note. Though after all the Death Notes gradually lost their power, they had to resort to other means of silencing them.

The new Kiras were nothing like the old ones. Ryuk doesn’t think there’s a group more vain, selfish and deluded as they are. Sometimes he wondered if they were only here because of the stories about the old Kiras—back in the old days, when the Shinigami still reigned supreme, Kiras gained fanatical supporters and worshippers from the rest of the awestruck humanity. Kiras used to be part of the Shinigami’s terrifying arsenal of weapons. Now, the Kira legacy was reduced to three simpletons who played with Shinigami dark magic. What a disgrace.

“RYUK! RYUK!” a familiar voice shouted from behind the wooden door leading to his room. The door slammed open, the force almost ripping it from its hinges. “There you are, you lazy good-for-nothing!”

Ryuk was about to get a migraine. As he stared at the familiar face of his colleague, he grimaced. “What is it this time, Rem? Is it those brats again? Because if it is, I swear I—”

Rem’s expression seemed almost frantic. “No, this is much more important than the Kiras!”

“What could possibly more important than my valuable snack time?” he asked. And just to prove a point, he showed her the inside of a sack filled with the stolen apples he collected from the humans’ farms.

Rem resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Possibly, _maybe,_ a request from the king himself?” she said sarcastically. Ryuk nearly choked on a slice of apple.

“What request?”

A damnable silence. “We saw a star fall to Earth,” she informed him.

“A star—wait, what? Shit!” Ryuk can barely believe it. A star? God knows how long it’s been since the first one had fallen. It happened millennium before the start of the Shinigami-human war. Ryuk had witnessed the start of the tragedy; he remembered dimly that it had not ended very well for the star, because she had spilled a secret that was used against her; the secret of her radiance and beauty. The humans she had so loved were the very same ones who ripped her heart out, longing for the thing which could not be given to them: immortality.

“What is the Shinigami king planning to do with this star?” Ryuk asked lazily, carving lines on an apple with the tip of his sharpened fingernails. “You were there too when the first star fell. Haven’t the humans already found out that the heart of a star only granted temporary youth and a longer life?”

“The Shinigami king cannot take any chances. We are being hunted to extinction by those accursed humans! Our numbers are dwindling, and fast. If we do not think of a solution, this will be the end of us,” Rem said. “The star’s heart only offered youth to the humans. But we are Shinigami. The power of a star is nearly boundless. Perhaps if we play our cards right it can offer a way for us—”

“--to get our invulnerability back.” Ryuk finished for her. He huffed in annoyance.“I hate that the humans had to take away all our fun by stealing the king’s Death Note. So what does he want us to do? Does he want us to find the star?” His wings almost quivered in anticipation, the urge to fly almost irresistible.

“No.”

Ryuk’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious? The first interesting thing to happen in _ages,_ and I can’t be a part of it!?”

“Ryuk, you’re our best warrior. The king can’t risk you going outside just to get caught by some pesky little human. Leave it up to the ones who do all our dirty work. You can go watch when the star is captured and dealt with.” Ryuk harrumphed noisily.

“What do you mean by the ones who do our—” Ryuk snorted when he saw the look on Rem’s face. “You have got to be kidding me.”

“You know what to do. Inform the Kiras.”

~~~~~~~~

_Am I dead? Is this what it feels like to die? Wait, can the dead think and feel?_

Light cracked open one eye.As he gazed up at the endless void of the night sky, he relaxed. Good, good, everything was just a dream, he was still home…

But wait. Why did everything seem so far away? The stars, his brethren… they looked like tiny pinpricks right now. Light’s eyes streamed.He was confused and scared, but more than that, he was bone tired. But before he could succumb to sleep, Light had to know what was going on. As he takes a moment to adjust to the sudden darkness, he presses a warm cheek to the cold ground.

_This… is also strange. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been floating through the sky, suspended in empty space. I have never known the feeling of anything before. Why can I feel something underneath me? Why can I feel this hard, pressing sensation on my back?_

_Why can I feel anything at all?_

His fist clenched and unclenched as he took shallow, quick breaths. Slowly, he turned to lie on his side.

He was lying in the center of a crater several feet deep and many yards wide. Light took a single look at the thin layer of dust on his body rapidly fizz away, his coat glowing brightly from his sudden entrance into Earth’s atmosphere. _No_ , Light thought suddenly. _This wasn’t a dream_. He had really fell, struck the Earth, somehow survived, and was now stuck in a land filled with strange animals and plants and the Shinigami and _them._

No. Forget dream, this was a fucking _nightmare._

Light’s bleary eyes landed on a notebook sitting only inches away from his hand. It was jet-black, thin and sleek, and for some odd reason that Light didn’t know, it seemed to radiate an ominous and malicious power. _Is this the thing that hit me?_ He snatched it quickly and glanced at the two words on its cover.

 _Death Note? What in heaven’s name is this? This is too weird for me. I’ll just figure everything out tomorrow._ Light barely had enough time to tuck the notebook into the inside pocket of his pristine white coat before he fell into a dreamless slumber.

~~~~~~~~

L halted a good hundred feet away from the wall gap.

There was Roger, as alert as ever, leaning against the wall as he guarded against trespassers. Now how would L be able to lure him away long enough for L to sneak in? Roger was practically glued to his post.

Should he just call it quits? No, a year’s supply of candy was at stake! It would be against his principles to give up without exerting any effort. Smoothing down the wrinkles of his shirt, L continued his leisurely stroll towards Roger.

“Hello, Roger,” he greeted. “How are you feeling today?”

Roger narrowed his eyes at L. “I’m just fine, thank you. What brings you here? I have not heard from you in quite a while. I thought you had forgotten about me.”

“Why would I forget Watari’s best friend?” L asked innocently. Roger still didn’t look like he believed him. Eyeing the wall gap, L decided to take his chances. “Roger, may I pass through the gap? There is something I need to retrieve beyond the border.” Roger spluttered.

“Do you know what you’re asking, boy? For hundreds of years my family had been protecting this gap, the only bridge that connects this world to another. For hundreds of years my family has endured people’s ridicule and suffered from their cruelty. For hundreds of years we have kept this legacy alive, and now you request me to throw it all away, just so you can ‘retrieve’ something?” Roger asked incredulously. L shrugged.

“It was worth a shot.” L steadied himself, and attempted to push past the guardian of the wall. Without blinking an eye, Roger blocked L with an iron arm to his gut. L doubled over in pain, wheezing in surprised shock.

Damn, Roger was stronger than he looked. But he was an old man and L was a strong and healthy adult. Well, almost healthy, if the sweets he ate were any sort of indicator. L shifted into a fighting stance, carefully assessing Roger’s calm demeanor. “Roger, you know I am well versed in the art of Capoeira. Give me passage or else I would be forced to undertake drastic measures.”

With a smug expression that would not look out of place on a ten-year-old, Roger goaded L. “Show me what you’ve got,” the old man told him.

It was a fight barely lasting 5 minutes. As soon as L launched his foot at the guardian’s face, Roger swiftly and effortlessly dodged it, swinging his elbow into L’s side. He then grabbed L’s arm and twisted it painfully around his back. L whimpered in pain.

“I’ve many more decades of experience over you, child. Do not even think of passing through this border again. If you try another stunt like this…” he emphasized his point by gradually applying more force to the twisted arm.

“OW! Alright, alright!” L grumbled. Roger released him from his tight hold. “Why are you so against people passing through the border? The meadow on the other side is probably the dullest place I’ve ever seen,” L stated, still cradling his injured arm. His plan had gone wrong. Guess he needed to try a different tactic, then. “I don’t understand Roger.”

The guardian’s eyes softened. “Ah. I have good reason. Hasn’t Watari ever told you the story of how you were found?” L nodded.

“I was an orphan, right?” he said disinterestedly. “He did not care to elaborate much on my history. Personally, I do not mind. I am much more interested in Watari’s past. Doesn’t the fact that such a brilliant man would choose to make a living as a repairman in such a small, unremarkable village in the middle of nowhere bother you? It’s beyond my comprehension.”

Roger scrunches his eyebrows. “I… well, no. But that is not my point; the point is, truthfully, _I_ was the one who met you first, not Watari. I had even met the woman who had taken care of you, long ago. She looked like she might be related to you. I thought she could have possibly been your mother.”

Roger sighed. “The reason why Watari might not have spoken to you about this is because the woman had been from beyond the wall. She told me secrets about her world and how it was filled with magic, but it was also engulfed in a war that threatened to harm you.”

L’s eyes widened at the new revelation. Roger actually believed that he was from beyond the wall? Maybe the long years of sitting next to a dusty wall had done things with his head. Nonetheless, this was his chance to turn it to his advantage. “Then should that not be reason enough? Why can’t I be permitted to pass through to search for my supposed relative?”

Roger shot him a dark glare that made him sweat profusely. “Have you not heard a single word I said? The world on the other side of this wall is _dangerous,_ L. I will not allow anyone to pass over to it, much less the son of my best friend.” He shooed away L like he was nothing more than a pesky bug. L growled in displeasure, turning around to walk dejectedly back to Watari’s house. He’d been gone for too long already, given his trip to the sweet shop and his conversation with both Roger and Naomi. Surely Watari would have questions when he returned.

 _It isn’t fair. Naomi would have her stupid free repairs, and the privilege to gloat, all because of one deluded old man…_ L glanced back at Roger, surprised to find out that the man had completely turned his back away from him. _Ah. Roger has finally made his first mistake._ L paid no heed to the voice in his head warning him to stop his train of thought lest he risk fighting a losing battle.

He only had one chance to do this. L steeled himself, inhaled slowly, and counted to ten— before launching himself into a sprint, dashing madly to jump over the gap before Roger could stop him. Twenty feet… fifteen… ten… five feet…

As soon as he reached Roger’s place beside the wall he was yanked backwards onto the ground by a firm hand grabbing the collar of his shirt. L gaped up stupidly at the wall guardian’s wry face, mild irritation painting his features.

Roger leaned down, his warm breath ghosting over the shell of L’s ear.

“I don’t know how to make this any clearer to you,” he whispered. “ _You. Will. Not. Cross. Over.”_

~~~~~~~~

“The king has died.”

Beyond yawned. “Any more surprising news for tonight? Were you not expecting he would die after catching that plague?” he asked with boredom. But inside he was celebrating. The king was finally dead! YES! How convenient, only a few hours after the competition started! Now there was the matter of winning the crown, and with that, the right to rule Stormhold.

But before that, he had to find that stupid notebook first. Where was he going to start looking for it? And there was also the matter of the other two. Eraldo and Deneuve may be morons, but there was still a chance, no matter how statistically improbable, that they would find the Death Note before he did.  He’d have to find a way to dispose of them first.

Eraldo glared murderously at him, and the young adviser had to stifle a laugh at how unbelievably unthreatening his glare was. “Do not speak so ill of the king. We have to fulfill his final request. We should be honored that he had wanted to choose one of us as the next in line for the throne.” Deneuve nodded in agreement.

“I propose that we work together,” Deneuve suggested. “We would find the Death Note much faster this way. We do not want to risk the notebook falling into the Shinigami’s hands. When we have found the Death Note, let us allow the people of Stormhold to choose the one they want to crown. None of us truly want this great responsibility thrust upon them in the first place.”

“I agree with your proposal.” Eraldo eyed Beyond pointedly. “And we shall respect the decision of the people. If it shall be either of you, I will be proud all the same. We are brothers who have known each other for a very long time, and I have faith in your good judgment. I shall continue to be an adviser to an honorable and just king.”

“As will I,” Deneuve replied.

“As will I,” Beyond added after a moment of silence.

A soft knock at the door at the door alerted then to the presence of a servant. He stood awkwardly by the door, unsure of himself. “Excuse me, my good sirs. I was instructed by Beyond to bring in these glasses.” He held out a silver tray upon which three wineglasses half-filled with red wine sat.

 _Ah, finally. “_ Gentlemen, this is a peace offering for you,” he told them, placing each of the wineglasses on the table in the center of the room before dismissing the servant. Carefully minding to take the leftmost glass, he raised it high and put on his most determined expression. “I know you may think me inexperienced and untrustworthy, but there is a reason why the king had chosen me as one of his advisers. I am as loyal as they come, and I will do anything to safeguard the peace of this kingdom. If the king thinks that I am good enough, I pray that you find me to be like that as well.”Eraldo finally smiles, and Denueve nods his head.

“This is a toast,” Beyond proclaimed. “To honor the memory of a great king, and to welcome the future of this kingdom—may it fall under capable hands, whoever it may be.”

Deneuve and Eraldo take their glasses readily, energized by Beyond’s little speech. “Cheers,” they all said in unison, clinking their glasses together and taking a sip. Beyond observed them through the corner of his eye as he drained his entire glass.

The first thing he heard was the shatter of Deneuve’s  glass as it met the floor. Dark liquid, red as blood, pooled through the carpeted floor. Deneuve choked on his own saliva and fell to his knees, clutching his chest.

“I… you--- ugh,” the former adviser said as he collapsed face-first onto a bed of broken glass, the blood from his cut cheeks mingling with the dark red wine. Beyond sneered as he watched the numbers above Deneuve’s head spin to zero.

Gone.

“Beyond, what have you—oh no.” Now it was Eraldo’s turn to realize in horror that he was about to die a quick, painful death. Eraldo coughed horribly, stumbling over Deneuve’s body.

“Goodbye, brother,” Beyond mocked, his lips twisting into a cruel smirk. “Maybe you should have thought twice before drinking the wine. Do tell me what it’ll be like on the other side.” He gave a little wave as a final insult.

“Bastard,” Eraldo snarled as his body went limp. “You’ll pay… for this…” When Eraldo’s eyes shut close, Beyond let out a roar of triumph.

“YES! Those morons, those gullible morons, hahaha! That was almost too easy! Now all I just need to do is find that blasted notebook and become the rightful king of Stormhold! Let’s see, what am I going to do once I’m king? Maybe I’ll start by burning the knight who insulted me last year at the stake? Oh, how tempting. Perhaps I’ll make it a public execution…” Beyond trailed off when he sees Eraldo’s fingers twitch in his peripheral vision. “Hmm?”

No, something had gone terribly wrong. The name and numbers that hovered over Eraldo’s head had not disappeared or even changed. Beyond blinked his eyes, then glanced over at Deneuve’s face. His name and numbers were gone, like it should have been for a deceased person. So why…? Intrigued, Beyond took a closer look at Eraldo. He _seemed_ to be dead. But why did Eraldo die gripping his wineglass? There was barely any wine left in it, most of it had spilled out when he tripped over Deneuve.

A jet of red wine suddenly splashed itself into Beyond’s alarmed face.

“Ahhh! You cretin!” Beyond moved away to rub the stinging alcohol away from his eyes. Eraldo sat up, wiping his mouth free of the poisoned liquid and setting aside the glass in his hand.

“Did you really think I would accept anything from you, of all people?” Eraldo said, eyes brimming with hatred. “I know that Deneuve had his doubts, but I didn’t have any. From the moment King Lawliet hired you I could see how insane and power-hungry you were. I tried to convince him and Deneuve of your evil, and yet… they refused to believe me. With Deneuve gone, it is only you and I who are able to claim the right to become king.”

Eraldo’s eyes burned holes into Beyond. “I have no time to grieve for my fallen friend. I will do whatever it takes to have that crown. The kingdom of Stormhold deserves a good king, and I’d be damned before I let you have that kind of power.Even if I do not wish to take the throne for myself.”Eraldo spun on his heel and left a gobsmacked Beyond alone to stew on his own thoughts.

Well. That was interesting. Though Beyond’s scheme didn’t go exactly as planned, he knew it was only a minor bump in the road. There was no way he’d lose to someone as uptight as Eraldo anyway. Eraldo can be taken care of later. Beyond had brains and a whole lot of creativity. There will come a time when he would get his second chance. For now, he had to focus on finding the Death Note. He can certainly wait a little longer to become king.

When day breaks tomorrow, he would start hunting his prey.

~~~~~~~~

Deep, deep in a hidden lair, two young humans leaned over a boiling cauldron.

“Mikami, I don’t think you made this potion correctly,” one of them complained. “It’s not supposed to be green! At least cast a Checking Spell to make sure everything is all right!”

“Don’t be stupid, Misa. I double-checked each and every ingredient, and followed the instructions in the book to the letter. I’m not risking any more than seven spells a month,” The one called Mikami replied. You know how dangerous Shinigami magic is. It’s not meant for humans. It’ll rot us slowly with every spell we cast, until we turn to dust. There’s a reason other witches call it black magic.”

“Then why do the Shinigami not die when they use their own magic?” Misa pouted.

Mikami pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ve told you a thousand times, the Shinigami don’t age naturally, we’re Kiras, not—”

 “Arguing again?” a voice called, and the two turned their heads to face their fellow Kira. The Kira’s hands were on her hips, and she was wearing an exasperated expression on her face.

“Takada!” Mikami said, relieved. “Will you _please_ explain to Misa why we can’t use Shinigami magic whenever we want? I am so tired of repeating myself every ten minutes.”

Takada shot Misa an annoyed face. “Whine all you want about all Shinigami being able to use magic. We’re humans, of course their magic has nasty side effects on our bodies. If you want to watch your body suffer through an accelerated aging process, be my guest. I won’t stop you.”

“Yeah, yeah I know. I’ll turn into an old woman if I use it too much in a short amount of time, yadda yadda.” Misa crossed her arms. “I don’t understand why we’re learning Shinigami magic in the first place. Not that I’m complaining or anything, it’s really cool.” Her eyes settled on the green cauldron, their almost completed concoction still bubbling. They were just putting on the finishing touches on a brew when, once finished, could give an unwitting victim horrifying hallucinations when ingested.

“You idiot! Why did you even become a Kira in the first place?” Mikami suddenly shrieked. “Don’t you want the Shinigami to like you? Or at least find you useful? How will they think of you, being holed up in a house in the middle of nowhere doing absolutely nothing to help them win against the humans? Don’t you know what they do to the Kiras who they deem useless?!”

“Well, duh. I became a Kira because I look up to the Shinigami. I would never be useless to them,” Misa said in a carefree manner. “Besides, the Shinigami won’t do anything to us. They’re nice! If they weren’t, they wouldn’t have brought justice to my parents’ murderers.”

Mikami was five seconds away from throttling Misa when a shadow fell upon them. All the candles’ flames in the room suddenly flickered, and the force of a strong breeze swept over their bewildered faces. The shadow grew bigger and longer, closing in on them. A soft thud alerted them to an intruder’s presence.

“Hello, Kiras,” greeted a bored Ryuk, absentmindedly crunching down on what seemed like his thousandth apple for the day. His huge, scruffy black wings fold up tightly against his back as he walked closer to the trio of Kiras.

“Ry—Ryuk?” Takada took a step back from the giant Shinigami standing entirely too close to her. “What are you doing here? We didn’t summon you for anything! And what did we tell you about entering through our windows?”

“I am not a dog which you can just ‘summon.’” Ryuk said, ignoring her protest. Ryuk’s mouth twisted into a truly terrifying smile, showing off two rows of jagged teeth. “You should show me some respect, human.”

Mikami’s eyebrows furrowed. “There must be a reason why you’re here, then. You don’t talk to us unless you are forced to.”

“Yes. Well, that’s one thing you got right.” Ryuk finished off his apple, the continued speaking. “The Shinigami king wants one of you to embark on a dangerous quest to retrieve an important item. Needless to say, if you fail this quest, do not expect us to go easy on you. You might as well not come back to Shinigami territory.”

“What is this item?” asked Misa with a tilt of her head.

A beat of silence.“A star. Or more precisely, a star’s heart.”

The three Kiras gaped at Ryuk. “Say what?” Misa asked dumbly.

Takada blinked. “A star’s heart? You mean like that fairy tale that the people of Stormhold tell their children?”

“No, no, no, can’t be,” interrupted Mikami. “Everyone knows that didn’t really happen. Ryuk, you must be kidding, right?”

“Maybe Ryuk’s talking about immortality right? You know how that story goes…” Misa cut in.

“Stop your yammering, goddamn it,” snapped Ryuk. “All I can say about that stupid story you humans tell to your children is that it’s true. I’m a firsthand witness to what happened to that star. We know a star has almost boundless power. We need it. That’s why we need you to cooperate to find this fallen star.”

“Alright, fine. But how are we supposed to find it? It could’ve fallen anywhere by now!”Mikami stated.

Ryuk scratched his head. Honestly, he hadn’t really thought that far yet. “That’s not really my problem. Perhaps try one of the locating spells in the spellbook?” he gestured to the shelf stacked with Shinigami spellbooks.

Mikami pointed to himself. “Hello, _human_ here,” he said with a deadpan expression. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but your magic tends to shorten human lives.”

“What, do you even want me to do the spell for you? How useless are you people???” Ryuk threw up his hands. “Use _human_ magic then! You can’t blame our magic for being so unsuited to your weak and inferior bodies! I can’t even understand on why you insist on using it!”

Mikami bit back a snarl. “None of us are naturally magically inclined! We’re as magical as a common soothsayer or mystic! We can’t use human magic like real witches and wizards. Trust me when I say that I wish we didn’t have to dabble with Shinigami magic. This is the only type of magical art that doesn’t allow for a human to be innately attuned to magic!”

“Shinigami magic is better anyways, Ryuk,” Misa helpfully added.“White magic is so lame. We can never harm anything with that kind of magic.” Then, in a nasally voice, she imitated an annoying human sorcerer. “‘ _It goes against the very nature of magic,’_ they said. _‘you use magic to protect people,’_ they said. That’s why we call the other witches tree-hugging weirdoes. White magic is useless when it comes to the real work.”

Ryuk didn’t look convinced. “The Shinigami king’s not going to accept that excuse. Use Shinigami magic or call someone to do the location spell for you. I don’t give a flying fuck. Either way you have to get that star.”

“Fine, fine,” Takada spoke for them. “We will find the star for the Shinigami king. But what does he want us to do with it? What happens after we have the star?”

“Cut out the star’s heart,” the Shinigami told her plainly. “But you must only do this while it is glowing—act delicately, and manipulate the star into caring about you, because a star’s heart only glows when it is feeling happy. Then can the heart’s power be extracted. Do you understand me? _You have to kill this star._ ”

All three Kiras were silent. “We understand. We shall set out immediately to find it,” Mikami finally said.

Ryuk’s face broke into a feral grin. “Good. Notify me immediately when you have the star’s heart.” His inky black wings unfurled, casting a shadow over them once again. Ryuk’s bulging yellow eyes were dancing in glee. “Do not disappoint us.”

With a flap of his heavy wings, Ryuk was gone, extinguishing the light from several candles in the room and engulfing the trio of Kiras in darkness.

With Ryuk out of earshot, Takada breathed a tiny sigh of relief, picking up a box of matches to relight the candles. “What are we going to do? We have no way of finding this star.”

Mikami picked up a spellbook off the shelf and hummed thoughtfully. “I agree. The only way we can find this star is if we use a Shinigami locating spell. But the question remains: who would be the one to capture to cast the spell?” No one moved to volunteer for the dangerous task.

“Really? No one? Well…” Misa said shakily. “I guess that’s that then.”

“Of course no one wants to do this. But someone has to. Let’s draw lots instead,” Takada decided, sizing up the different caged animals in their lair, all cowering away from the Kiras in the room. “Shall we open up the raccoon’s chest? The one who gets the heart does the spell.”

“Eww, no,” Misa grumbled. “I don’t want to stick my hand in there and grab one of those nasty organs. Who even thought up of drawing lots like that?”

“Wait, hold on,” Mikami said, an idea forming at the back of his mind. “Maybe none of us need to cast the Shinigami spell. Maybe… maybe we could use a human location spell instead.”

Takada pursed her lips. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’d accidentally swapped your brain with Misa’s. How exactly do you think we’d be able to use that magic, huh?”

Mikami glanced knowingly at her. “Well, _we_ might not be able to use white magic, but we know a certain someone who would.” The two looked at him uncomprehendingly.

Mikami bit his lip. “A certain former Kira? Someone who was disgraced years ago?” he tried.

Takada’s complexion paled as it clicked in her head. “Higuchi,” she breathed.

“Yes. As much as it pains me to say this, we need him. He is the only witch sympathetic to our cause.”

Higuchi was one of the very few witches who the Shinigami gave the Kira title to. Years ago, he became well respected and was even bestowed with the great honor of having Shinigami Eyes. Very few Kiras were given the Eyes by the Shinigami king.

Eventually his corrupted nature became known, and as punishment for the crime he committed—killing  humans without direct orders from a Shinigami for their deaths—he was punished by having his Shinigami Eyes taken away and exiled, forever reminded of his wrongdoings.

Higuchi was disgraced because he violated a core principle. All four of them—the only remaining Kiras left—had a legacy to uphold. They, and many others before them, fought for a noble cause. Many of them were wronged by their own people. They sided with the Shinigami, who were also wronged by humanity, to fight against this injustice. The final reward the Shinigami king promised the Kiras for their efforts would be unimaginable power, a right to rule over the human race alongside the Shinigami. Only then would humanity reach its true potential; only then would humanity finally be purged of its impurities. To go against Shinigami orders would be to lose a chance for humanity’s new revival.

“But how are we going to get him to cast the location spell? He hates us!” Takada countered.

Mikami smirked. “Not all of us,” he said, turning to look directly at Misa.

Misa stared in shock before shaking her head so vigorously it almost sprained her neck. “No, no, no! You want me to—with that perv?! I don’t want to!” She cried.

“Don’t be such a baby!” Takada barked. “This is for the sake of all of us. At least we don’t have to use any unnecessary spell. Or would you rather die by Shinigami magic?” Misa whimpered.

“Remember, it’s not because we want you to, it’s because we have to. I thought you wanted to be useful to the Shinigami,” Mikami explained, putting on his best smile and laying a comforting hand on the distraught girl. Mikami internally wondered what the Shinigami were thinking, allowing such a naïve girl to be a Kira.

Misa wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “Fine. But I’m only doing this for the Shinigami,” she sniffled. “You guys better thank me when I get the star’s heart.”

“Finally, we’re getting somewhere. Who has the map? Let’s find out where Higuchi’s been exiled.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three wild Kiras appear! L and Light better be careful, haha~


	3. Disastrous First Meetings

Beyond shut his tired eyes, cursing the midday sun for daring to shine so brightly on his face. If only he hadn’t been out exploring for hours. Where would he even begin to search? King Lawliet was so stupid. Did he expect his advisers to methodically check every square inch of the kingdom to find the Death Note? Didn’t he think they had better, more important things to be doing? The notebook could be anywhere by now!

He had thought that bringing along one of his servants, who had earlier said he had seen where the notebook had landed, was good enough. But even then there was too much ground to cover. That was the only reason why he was on horseback, galloping along a grassy cliffside road with no tree or house in sight. He would have combed the land by foot if he could.

 Only when they reached the beginnings of the forest bordering their kingdom did Beyond show any signs of stopping. “Stop, stop,” he called to his companions. “I need time… to reflect.” _And rest from all this goddamn fruitless searching,_ he thought sourly. Slowly, he got off his steed, stretching out his aching joints and cracking his knuckles. Time was running out fast. When he woke up this morning, Eraldo was already gone, leaving only a spiteful note for Beyond: _I will see to it that you will not become the king of Stormhold._

Beyond had crumpled up the note without a second thought. What did this upstart take him for? He was no fool. If Eraldo wanted a battle, a battle he would surely get.

But he wouldn’t get anywhere if he continued like this. He needed help to find the notebook. He needed—

“Beyond, sir, someone is trying to get your attention.”  His heart leapt to his throat when a wrinkled hand grabbed his shoulder from behind. Gripping his sword tightly, he spun around.

The face of a kind old woman stared back at him kindly. “Hello, young man. You seem troubled. May I help you?”

Beyond narrowed his eyes. What was an old woman doing near the forest, so far away from civilization? “As a matter of fact, you can. I am looking for something. Can you help me find it?”

The woman smiled. “Yes, I can be of assistance. You see, I am a soothsayer. I have just the objects you need to help you find whatever it is you seek.” She turned around and proceeded to stand behind a large, smooth rock, using its relatively flat top to rest her elbows. The old woman gave him an expectant look.

So the woman was a soothsayer, a low-level witch. Just what Beyond was looking for. No wonder she was in such an isolated part of Stormhold. _Well, this was certainly convenient. Did she know I needed help? Can she read my mind? Why do witches have to be so weird?_ Beyond approached the woman, intrigued.

The old woman rummaged around in her purse and pulled out five flat, rectangular pieces of smooth stone with markings etched onto one side. She showed them to Beyond, setting them down on the flat rock between them.

“Are those really supposed to tell me how to find the thing I’m looking for?” Beyond said, unconvinced.

“These are far more powerful than meets the eye,” the soothsayer told him. “These are Oracle stones. They have been passed down to me by many generations of mystics and shamans. These are enchanted objects, you see. They have been used by many to divine the answer of any question one’s heart desires to ask. Shall I tell you where to find the object you are seeking?”

Beyond looked down on the stone pieces in the soothsayer’s hand thoughtfully. “I would like to test them for accuracy first. I want to ask some test questions. How do they work?” he asked her.

The woman blinked. “Yes, well… I usually do the divination myself, but if you insist, I will let you do it. Ask any question that can be answered with an affirmative or negative while I throw up the Oracle stones. I shall interpret the rest,” she replied.

“Let’s begin. Throw them now.” Beyond watched as the elderly soothsayer threw up the pieces high into the air. “Am I Beyond Birthday?” All of the stones fell on the flat rock markings-side-up.

“Yes you are,” the woman replied confidently. Beyond nodded, satisfied.

“Throw them again,” he commanded, and she obliged, throwing them higher. “Was I the _loyal and faithful_ adviser of Luke Lawliet, king of Stormhold?” The stones fell, all of them landing with their markings face down.

“No,” the soothsayer declared.

“Hmm. Very interesting. How about this: am I royalty, or will I be?”

The woman raised her eyebrows as the stones were cast upward, falling with a clatter on the smooth rock they were using as a table.

Two with its markings facing up, two with its smooth sides up, and one peculiarly balancing on its side, refusing to topple over even when it was on an uneven surface.

“What does that mean?”

“Unsure,” the woman said, frowning. “I sometimes get this result if the Oracle stones are used to try to divine the future. They are not supposed to be used for that purpose, unfortunately. They can only determine the accuracy of statements in the present.” Beyond huffed, annoyed.

The soothsayer gathered up the pieces again. “Are you done yet? Shall we start finding your missing possession?”

“One last question,” he said, holding up a finger. “Throw them again.”

“Alright,” said the woman, relenting. “But this shall be the last time. We are wasting daylight.” Once again the Oracle stones flew into the air.

Beyond grinned evilly at the woman when he uttered his next question. “Do you work for Eraldo Coil?”

The woman stood frozen and terrified for a half-second until she lurched forward. “I—wait—” she stammered, her hands grabbing uselessly at Beyond’s sleeve as he caught the stones in his left hand.

“Please understand,” she pleaded. “Do not take the answer of the stones so seriously. The Oracle stones are not always accurate… the actual chances of you finding your notebook with them are slim!”

“Did I say anything about a notebook?” Beyond gave her a simpering smile, and opened the palm of his hand.

The pieces of white stone sat on his palm, all of them with their markings clearly visible. There was a dead silence for a full ten seconds. Beyond flicked his eyes casually to the soothsayer, who had slowly backed away, her fear clearly evident on her wrinkled face.

“I can expl—” the woman’s voice was abruptly cut off as the infuriated former adviser sheathed his sword into the woman’s chest. His other companions yelled in surprise as the soothsayer fell to the ground, her mouth spurting blood.

Resting one foot on the corpse of the soothsayer, Beyond examined each of his companions closely. “You know,” he drawled, fingering one of the stone pieces, “We spent _quite_ a lot of time travelling to this part of Stormhold, all because a certain servant had told me he had seen where the notebook had landed. Isn’t it coincidental that not only have we not encountered the crash site of the notebook, but we managed to stumble across one of Eraldo’s lackeys? I do hope, _for the sake of this servant’s life,_ that he was not conspiring against me. I do not respond well to betrayals.”

Beyond threw a pointed glance at the servant, who quickly looked away. Rolling his eyes, the adviser cast the Oracle stones again and whispered his final question, his eyes never leaving the guilty boy in question.

One beheaded servant later, Beyond pocketed the stones and mounted his horse once again. His companions watched in silence as he took the reins and wiped the blood from his hands indifferently.

“What are you all staring at me for?” he barked. “Get moving! Who knows what’ll happen if I don’t reach the Death Note first?”

~~~~~~~~

There are days where Watari feels certain that he understood L completely. It’s hard not to bond with someone you’ve actually raised and been with for so many years. Even for someone as enigmatic and elusive as L, two and a half decades is more than enough time to get to know them.

Or so Watari thinks. Today was not one of those days. L has been frighteningly unresponsive and aloof all morning, and didn’t even respond when Watari asked L if he wanted him to make a quick run to the sweet shop to pick up a few pastries (and L often broke his silence to say yes to this offered treat).

Watari has been trying to talk to the boy since yesterday night, when he realized that L had left the repair shop early but had not gone up to his room. When L finally did return home, he was sporting some odd injuries and had refused to tell Watari where he had obtained them.

But after a very strange and short conversation with Roger when the man had dropped by to fetch his newly fixed watch, he decided to put his foot down.

_“What do you mean, he tried going over the wall? Are you sure you’re not off your rocker? L is about as interested in exploring as he is in finding a wife!” Watari had told to him._

_“What do you take me for?” Roger said indignantly.  “I don’t know why he wanted to cross, but yesterday night was the most exhausting day of my life! He kept on trying to cross over even after I said no several times! I even had to stop him from climbing over the wall! That boy certainly does not know how to give up! He almost kicked me in the face!”_

_Watari sighed. “When L sets his sights on something, he won’t stop until he gets what he wants. But why now? What happened to make him so interested, after all these years?”_

_“I don’t know! I can’t quite understand his way of thinking either. He had said he had needed to retrieve something from across the border, but that’s impossible… he couldn’t have lost anything from there that might need to be retrieved…”_

_“Unless… he was referring to her?” Watari finished for him. “You don’t suppose…?”_

_“No, that’s impossible! I haven’t told a single soul about her—” Roger shouted, then clapped a hand over his mouth as the realization dawned on him. “Wait. I—I accidentally let slip to him… I might have told him about Ella!” He clutched at his hair and let out a strangled groan. “Why, God, why did I…?”_

_“Oh, Roger,” Watari chided him. “This was bound to happen eventually. Sooner or later, we’d need to tell him the truth.”_

This thought was strangely calming as he knocked gently on L’s door. “L? We need to talk,” the elderly man called, pausing to hear his adopted son’s reply.

Nothing. Reaching a hand to the doorknob, Watari slowly collected himself. The door opened with a slow creak and revealed a seemingly empty room.

Watari headed straight to the bed and poked the lump of blankets huddled up on the corner. “L, get up,” he murmured.

The lump under the blankets shifted slightly. Still no sound. Watari exhaled through his nostrils and tried again. “I’ve heard some very concerning things from Roger this afternoon. He said you tried to pass through the wall gap yesterday. Is this true? Is this where you disappeared off to last night?”

Watari heard a low grumble before the blankets were thrown off the bed by a disgruntled L. “Roger went babbling off to you then?” he accused, eyes wide with irritation. “I guess it doesn’t really matter. Roger can rub it in my face for all I care.”

“It doesn’t matter much to me that you tried to get past Roger. I’m more concerned with _why_ you did it in the first place.” There was another question that Watari so desperately wanted to ask the boy, but he was afraid to voice it. _Did he—did he finally learn about his past?_

L seemed to hesitate, lost in thought, before he spoke the very thing that Watari dreaded to hear. “Before I tell you my reason,” he said cautiously to the elderly man, “I want to confirm a few things. Roger said something very interesting. He told me that I came from across the wall gap and that he found me first, well before you took me in. Did I… did you ever have the chance to see the face of my mother?”

Watari removed his glasses and massaged his temple. “To be honest L, this talk is very overdue. I had been avoiding it for a long time, but you deserve to know the truth about your past.” Watari bit his lip. “Roger was the last to see the woman who took care of you before he passed you on to me. But we knew nothing about that woman; we did not even know if she was related to you by blood nor did we know if she lived in the land beyond the wall. All we knew was that she professed that you were in grave danger. That is why she entrusted you to Roger.”

“Did you try to track her down then?” L said in a monotonous voice.

Watari shook his head. “No. Sadly, she had never returned to the wall gap, yet Roger keeps watch nonetheless. All we had as a clue to her disappearance was the basket that you came in and the items she left you.”

L tilted his head in bewilderment. “Items? What items?”

“I have never taken a long look at them. It’s been a while since I’ve even seen the basket or its contents. There was a letter there that was clearly addressed to you, and I supposed that the items in the basket are not mine to begin with. They are yours to keep.”

“I want to see it.” L’s abrupt answer made the elderly man flinch slightly.

“What, now? Well… alright,” Watari said in a curt tone. “I shall fetch the basket. But please do me a favor, L. return to the shop now. I can’t have you disappearing during peak hours again. I am only one man, you know.”

L nodded, jumped up, and dashed out of the room with a fervor that Watari hadn’t seen in a while.

~~~~~~~~

Out on the outskirts of the Stormhold kingdom, a Kira walked leisurely up to a tiny shack in the middle of a lonely field. She wiped her brow as she consulted her enchanted map again.

“Damn it, why did Higuchi have to be so far? At this rate, I’ll reach the star when I’m fifty,” Misa grumbled, pausing at the shack to catch her breath. She leaned against a wall, rubbing her tired, aching feet. “If only I didn’t have to walk all the way there.”

“Um, miss, are you lost?”a stranger’s voice called, and Misa’s eyes landed on a straggly man. He held a wooden staff in one hand and a leash in the other, which was looped around a neck of a white goat pulling a small cart. Misa’s eyes brightened.

“I’m going to need your goat and your cart,” she said rudely, cutting straight to the point. “I need transportation. I’m willing to pay handsomely for them.” She shoved her hand in her pocket and pulled out a gold coin. “How much?”

The humble goat herder regarded the strange blonde woman coolly. “You make a tempting offer. But this goat would not be able to bear your weight. Best if you look elsewhere.” He turned his back on her, tapping his staff against the cart once to signal the goat.

Misa bristled, chasing after the man. “Hey, wait! I’m not done talking to you!” she grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.

“There is nothing to talk about,” he said calmly. “I do not have anything capable of transporting you. I only have one goat with me as of the moment—”

_Why, that smug little—!_ The Kira felt her blood began to boil. “You think I’m stupid?” she said, plastering a fake smile on her face. “If one goat is not enough, what about two?”

Before the goat herder could blink, Misa laid two fingers on his forehead and recited an ancient Shinigami transformation spell. The goat herder’s scream was quickly cut off by the sound of his bones reforming and his skin melting.

Soon enough, sitting in the spot where the man stood, was a goat with dark shaggy fur. The goat let out a terrified bleat.

“You get what’s coming to you,” cackled Misa. “You—”

Misa cut herself off as she watched dark splotches erupt all over her skin. _Oh my god! How many times have I used magic this month?!_ The Kira covered her arm hastily as she noticed the goats’ eyes on her.

“What are you looking at?” she snapped, tying a piece of rope on the newly transformed goat. “We don’t have time to waste. I need to find Higuchi. Go!”

~~~~~~~~

L had thought that his day would have been ruined beyond hope when he failed his sixth (or seventh? Or eight? He couldn’t keep track anymore) attempt to get past Roger. But now Watari had turned things around. Who knew L’s past was so mysterious? Why hadn’t he had asked Watari sooner? Good thing he brought up the subject. It was a successful diversion from the otherwise painfully awkward confrontation of Watari. And L was sure he wasn’t quite ready with an excuse for why he was trying to trick Roger into letting him pass the wall yesterday.

L watched Watari observantly as the elderly man rummaged inside the boxes in the attic. “Have you found the basket yet? I feel as if the dust has settled in my lungs already.”

“Just a second,” Watari coughed, waving away the cobweb that had stuck itself onto his face. “I really should clean out the attic again—ah! I found it!”

L leaned in closer as Watari pulled out an old brown basket and placed it on the table in the middle of the room. It was covered with a small white sheet that was discolored and fraying at the edges.

Watari touched the basket tenderly. “You were so small when I met you,” he said tearfully, ruffling L’s hair. “And now look… you’ve grown into such a fine young man.”

“Watari, I will always be your son. No matter how old I am.”

“The letter and the items your mother left you are still inside this blanket. Go look at them now,” the old man told in return.

L lifted the white sheet. Inside laid three very innocuous items: a brown envelope tied with a simple red ribbon, the words _To My Dearest Child_ written upon the flap, an unused candle that was the color of midnight, a small glass flower, and a shimmering silver chain. Watari nodded silently at L, which prompted him to pick up the envelope delicately and untie its ribbon with two of his pale fingers.

_My Dear Child,_

_How I wished that I could have known you. How I wished I did not need to give you up. But alas, it could not be. Fate does not smile kindly upon us._

_I could only hope that the one destined to care for you has raised you well. But even if I shall not be allowed by fate to see you again, I cannot let a chance pass by without trying. This is why I have entrusted three of my most prized possessions to you. I want to see you, my child, regardless of the consequences._

_I am giving you the option to find me. These three items will help you do that. Do not forget to bring all three of them on your journey, should you choose to accept this burden._

_The glass flower will protect you from even the greatest danger. Keep it close by._

_The silver chain is a reminder of me, so that you may understand my plight better. That chain is enchanted. It will neither stretch to its limits nor break, and it good for binding items you do not wish to lose. You may find it useful at some point._

_And the candle…if you ever choose to go on this journey, the candle is the quickest way to travel. It is one of the few Babylon Candles existing. When you are ready, light its wick and you shall see me. And this is important: when the candle is lighted, think of me and only me. Only then shall we be able to meet. I wish you luck, my son._

_Love,_

_Your mother_

L stopped reading, his gaze resting on the black candle inside the basket. Is this the Babylon Candle his mother was talking about? What? How could a candle help him find her? He looked at Watari helplessly.

Watari looked as if he was at a loss for words. “I think… maybe… you should at least honor your mother’s wishes.” Watari picked up the chain and the glass flower and placed it into L’s palm.

“Watari, you’re joking. My mother must be—” the elderly man shushed him by placing a finger to his own lips.

“Even so, L. This could have been your mother’s last request. You should at least light the candle in her honor.” He finished his sentence by handing L a single lit match and the candle. “I believe she wanted you to think of her.”

L sighed. “All right,” he obliged, taking the match and letting the flames lick at the candle’s wick. He stared at the candle, struggling to keep his thoughts on his absent mother. _How can I be able to focus my thoughts on a person I have not even met? I don’t know a thing about my mother. We are total strangers to each other. I would not have even thought about her if it was not for the meteorite. Speaking of the meteorite, I wonder if there is still a chance I would be able to retrieve it? Maybe I could finally track it down after..._

L shut his eyes quickly as a brilliant light enveloped the attic. Watari turned away, shielding his eyes as it turned absolutely blinding. “L, what in blazes—”

When he looked back, L was gone.

~~~~~~~~

As dusk approached, a fallen star finally stirred from a dreamless sleep.

_Oh heavens, I don’t want to wake up. Please just give me a few moments of peace._

Either the world hated Light or he was just very unfortunate, because not even a second after he thought this did a particularly harsh and freezing wind blow over his prone body. Light shivered, stuck one of his hands into the folds of his coat, and forced himself to sit up.

“Great, just great. What the hell do I do now?” he wondered aloud, looking straight up at the sky, at the exact spot he was in just yesterday. The other stars would appear very soon, just another reminder of what was out of his reach.

In only one short moment, his blissful and peaceful life was suddenly ripped apart from him. All because of this… thing. Light’s fingers twitched towards the mysterious notebook in his coat pocket, the one with the words “Death Note” on its cover, and had a brief internal debate on whether to take it out and examine it more closely.

Just as his fingers brushed against the notebook, he spied a glowing trail of golden light in the distance. _Is that… another falling star? I’m saved! Even if the other star’s not coming to rescue me, at least I’m not alone!_ Transfixed, Light stood up to watch the luminescent trail grow brighter and brighter. _Wait… why is it getting bigger? OHSHITIT’SHEADEDHERE_

Light broke into a run, almost tripping over himself as he scrambled in the opposite direction. He made the mistake of glancing right behind him—a split second decision that granted him an absolutely painful collision with the flying “star.” Once again, Light found himself with his back on the ground, eyes shut tight and his hands against a surprisingly warm body.

Light’s eyes flew open, and he momentarily recoils at the proximity of the face hovering just above him. The boy above him was certainly no star, if his disheveled form and ruffled clothes were anything to go by. Stars wouldn’t be caught dead in a state like that. Light’s kind possessed a natural beauty and grace that was rivaled by no other race.  No, the boy was clearly and unmistakably human, a disgusting, murderous creature that Light should avoid at all costs.

So… why wasn’t Light so repelled by him?

The human had odd features that strangely fit him. Messy ebony locks adorning his face, pale, creamy-white skin, and surprisingly soft features for a man. Light would have mistook him for a girl had the human not opened his eyes and finally stared down at him.

Observant, cold and calculating. Those eyes, underlined by dark circles as if he did not even care for sleep… Light was sure they would be burned in his memories. The human’s eyes swallowed all his other features until it was the only thing Light could see. They were brimming with an intelligence that left Light awestruck and breathless. They were wide yet expressionless, alert yet blank, and Light could not even begin to guess if the human’s confusing appearance was deliberate or part of a carefully prepared façade.

Suddenly, the human closed the gap between himself and Light, leaning in close and stopping only a few inches in front of Light’s face. He stared at him with his unblinking—and frankly, terrifying—eyes as he asked Light a single question. “Where am I?”

Light’s brain shuddered to a stop. Mentally slapping himself, he answered in what he hoped was a calm and unaffected voice. “I—I don’t know either.”

“Hmm. Pity.” The human licked his lips, lost in thought, and mumbled to himself. The tiny movement draws Light’s unwilling eyes to the human’s lips. “So I haven’t been transported to my mother? I didn’t think of her when… so that must mean—”

Just when Light thought the other was as close as physically possible, the human leans in close enough to brush his nose against Light’s. His sharp gaze seemed to pierce Light’s very soul. The human’s warm breath blew over Light’s lips as he asked, “Hmm. Have you perhaps seen a large rock which may or may not have impacted the surface of the ground somewhere around the vicinity?”

_Woah! Too close, too close! Say something, Light! Push him off! DO ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING!_

“You have lovely eyes,” Light blurted out without thinking. _Stupid, stupid! What are you thinking!?_ Light’s face began to warm in embarrassment.

The dark-eyed boy blinked and slowly pulled away, finally noticing the crater they were in. “That observation is inconsequential. You have not answered my earlier query. Where is the meteorite?”

His words snapped Light out of his stupor. _Wait, did he say meteorite?_ He had never felt so humiliated in his entire life. He was no meteorite, he was a star! He used to be the guiding light to lost travelers, a listener to humanity’s greatest wishes, a quiet watcher of the world… and had those humans ever given a damn? Not once! Those immoral, baseless creatures didn’t even give a damn for each other! And besides, meteorites? Really? Those hunks of space junk were utter jerks that were no better than those egotistical, flamboyant comets. They didn’t even care enough to stay up in the sky for long! Those suicidal maniacs.

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe you’ve been staring it right in the face for the past two minutes without it ever stopping to ask how fucking _rude_ you were being for assuming it was a meteorite in the first place,” replied Light sarcastically, shoving the other boy off him and shooting him a death glare. “Maybe it was a star, _thank you very much,_ and it was minding its own business until a flying _thing_ hit it out of the sky, where it proceeded to hurtle towards the ground in speeds which should have killed it instantly. Just when the star thought it went through enough, it just had to be hit again, by a mysterious imbecile who also happened to come from the sky!”

The human seemed unaffected by Light’s rant. He wiped his hands on his wrinkled white shirt and lifted his thumb to the side of his mouth. “I’m afraid I do not quite understand what you’re implying.”

_Oh great, a stupid one._ Light shook his head disappointedly. He definitely needed to reevaluate his earlier assessment. Why did he think this human would be any different from the others? He should have known better, judging by the boy’s unkempt and rather dull appearance. _He reminds me of a frog,_ his mind hilariously supplied when the boy shifted into a crouch, pulling his legs up against his chest and resting his hands on his knees. _Why does he act like a child? He looks like he’s already in his twenties. Aren’t humans in their twenties considered adults?_

When Light ignored his question, the human eyed him curiously. “You meant it literally.”

“Yes?”

“You are a star.”

“Yes.” Light sighed.

“And you landed here, in this exact spot, because something knocked you out of the sky.”

“Yes,” Light told the froglike idiot.

A pause.

“You’re delusional,” the human told him. “That doesn’t make any sense. Stars don’t fall out of the sky. And if they did, at the very least they might look like rocks, not… this.” He gestured towards Light.

“OH, FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE! Of course it makes sense, you idiot! Who _wouldn’t_ fall out of the sky after getting hit so hard?! It was a miracle I hadn’t died when I crash landed! And rocks, give me a break, I said I wasn’t a meteor! What _doesn’t_ make any sense is how you got here, and how you also came from the sky!”

The human froze. “Wait. You’re—you’re right. That doesn’t make any sense at all. Roger was telling the truth?” He palmed something in his pocket absentmindedly, making Light wonder what it was. “Another world…” the boy murmured.

“Sorry for being a star and all, and sorry for disappointing you if all you expected was a tiny meteorite. Now that you have your answer, would you please leave me alone?” Light said irritably. “I have enough on my plate to worry about.”

Light turned to leave when his wrist was encased in a surprisingly strong grip.

“Apologies. I can’t let you leave,” said the boy, with not a hint of remorse in his voice. He tugged Light’s arm. “Naomi may have won our little bet, but I’ve found something much more interesting to work with. If you are really what you say you are, then I must find out how your existence is possible. I will take you to my repair shop.”

Light yanks his wrist away. “What are you talking about? Who’s Naomi? I’m not interested in coming along with you and being your experiment!” Light backs away warily as the boy slowly advanced on him.

In one smooth, fluid movement, the human wraps both his hands around Light’s wrist, looping a thin silver chain around it. “I don’t think you understand. I am not asking you to choose. You WILL come with me.” The chain glows faintly and fuses into a tight band on his wrist.

“Wow,” muttered the boy, expression filled with amazement.  “I did not expect that to actually work.”

_The bastard! I’d recognize this from anywhere, this is an enchanted chain! Is he serious?! How am I going to escape now?!_ Light shot the human an incredulous look. The other chose to ignore this in favor of scrambling up the side of the crater, dragging Light alongside him.

“Come along, now. I foresee a long journey ahead of us until we reach the border.”

~~~~~~~~

This was shaping up to be L’s weirdest day yet. And that was counting the day he managed to eat three pounds of sweets in one sitting, the day he got bored and accidentally invented a new type of clock with spare parts from his bedroom drawer, and, oh wait, the day he tried _kicking Watari’s best friend in the face_ just to get to a _meadow._

But this? This was just ridiculous. He was a man of science, damn it! Magic, enchantments, spells… these were all things that L had dismissed as fictional a long time ago. Now… now L had no choice but to accept the overwhelming evidence for their existence. What can a man of science do when he’s confronted with the fact that he was instantly transported to a crater in the middle of a forest miles and miles from where he was standing? And with a candle? There was no logical explanation for this!

L plunged his hand back into his jeans pocket and palmed what was left of the candle again. But the mysterious candle wasn’t the only thing that was so deeply, deeply off about his situation. In fact, if a certain…star… hadn’t mentioned his strange method of transportation, it probably would have escaped his attention much longer.

L glanced at his chained captive out of the corner of his eye. The boy—star, whatever he was—was definitely the strangest thing to have happened to him tonight. Not the revelation that Roger had been right about there being another world beyond the wall, not the fact that he’d been transported to said world by a damn candle, not the fact he’d ended up inside the crater L presumed the star made instead of where his mother was (because, really, how were you supposed to think of someone you hadn’t met and can’t have cared about?), but _him._

Even someone as uncaring about appearances as L could not deny the boy’s unearthly beauty. He radiated an aura that screamed of his otherworldly origin.  He was dressed in pure white from head to toe; from his graceful flowing coat to his perfectly pressed shirt to his shiny dress shoes.  He had tanned skin, warm eyes with the color of molten amber, and straight auburn hair. Not a flaw can be found on his smooth skin. Not a strand of his hair was out of place.  Not even a speck of dust marred his coat even when he was lying on dirt just a moment ago. It was as if his very being refused to be tainted by anything not from the celestial realm. He had an air of elegance around him that made him seem almost untouchable.

 “Stop ogling me,” the boy snapped when he noticed L’s eyes on him. L looked away quickly.

Even if L hadn’t finally realized that all the known laws of the natural world had just flown out the window, he wasn’t enough of an idiot to keep denying that the boy did seem… inhuman. Coupled with the absurdity of his current situation, well, there wasn’t much of a point to rationalizing it any further, is there? He was ninety-eight percent positive that the boy was telling the truth.

It made L curious. To have a living, breathing celestial body in front of him—literally!—well, that was beyond his realm of understanding.  But not being able to understand? That was unacceptable! He was L, for Christ’s sake! There was nothing beyond his understanding! He wanted, no, NEEDED, to know! How can a star be a person in this world? Does common sense have any bearing here??? Of course not, because if it did, he wouldn’t be here in the first place! Arghhh, it was so exasperating not knowing anything!

No, forget about Naomi’s bet. It doesn’t matter if he brought home a meteor or a star, because the only thing he had with him was a person, not a _human_ , maybe, but a person nonetheless. He wasn’t about to look insane in front of Naomi and try to explain how a star could be a person. L wouldn’t trade in anything, not even his favorite thing in the world, for his own self-respect. He silently bid goodbye to his year’s supply of candy.

 But he wasn’t going to let this trip go to waste either. If he wasn’t able to win a simple bet, and he was denied the chance to see his mother, then the least he could have is a chance to solve an impossibility he probably won’t see again in his lifetime. No matter what happens, he WILL take this chance to bring the star with him so he could have at least a tiny inkling of a clue as to what exactly was up with this world. Now there was only the simple matter of getting him to come along willingly.

“Star, please stop dragging your feet,” L groaned when he felt the chain go taut once more. In reply, the star stubbornly dug his heels deeper into the ground. “I will haul you all the way to the border if I have to.”

“Be my guest,” he spat. “I have no intention of doing anything a human tells me to. Especially you, Frog. You disgust me the most.”

L stopped walking and stared at the boy.  He had been completely unresponsive and uncooperative ever since L decided to bring him along, and L was finally putting his foot down. He couldn’t take much more of the star’s nonsense.

 In a quiet voice, L said, “Alright, fine. I’ve had enough. You win. I’ll let you go.”

The boy blinked. “Wait… you will?”

“Yes, yes. It’s quite unfortunate, to be honest. I wanted to have the opportunity to study you more closely. This is the first time I’ve ever seen someone of your kind.”

“I couldn’t care less about your inappropriate interest in me. Just let me go already.”

“It’s also unfortunate that I won’t have the chance to return you to the sky.”

The boy’s mouth dropped. “Huh?”

“Of course! Didn’t you know? I just wanted to run some experiments, nothing that would really hurt you. Then I’d send you back to where you belong once I’m finished.”

L smirked when he saw the star’s conflicted expression. It didn’t escape the boy’s notice.

“Why, you… are you trying to blackmail me!? I’ll—” The enraged star tried to swat at L’s head.

“I’m not lying,” L said casually, ducking under the boy’s hand. “I have a way to return you to your home. I believe it’s called a Baboon Candle and that is what I used to transport myself here in the first place.”

“A Baboon Candle? Don’t you mean a Babylon Candle?” The star rolled his eyes.

“That’s what I said.”

“No, you said Baboon.”

“You must’ve heard wrong.”

“Right.” The boy shook his head. “But how would I know you’ll really hold your end of the bargain? How do I really know that you have a Babylon Candle at all?”

L tsked and brought out what was left of the candle.

“Are you kidding me?” the star cried. “That thing’s almost used up! Are you even sure there’s enough of it to get me home?” 

L shrugged. “Take it or leave it. You should be thankful that I’m not using it to transport us to my village. It would’ve saved us the long walk to the border.”

The boy wore a pained expression. “ _Fine._ But I’ll only agree to this if you promise you’ll only study me for a day, and not a minute longer. Then you have to give me the candle so I can go home.”

“It is a deal, then. I shall take the star to my repair shop, study him for only a day, and in return the star shall receive the candle which shall grant him the ability to return to the sky.” L extended his hand, waiting expectantly for the other boy to take it. After what seemed like an eternity, the boy shook it grudgingly. “The deal is set. It is nice to meet you, star. I am L, by the way.”

Another awkward moment passed before the star realized that L was waiting for him to introduce himself. “Don’t expect me to tell you my name. I am so uncomfortable right now that I can barely even stand within ten meters of you, let alone share any of my personal information.”

“I can’t address you by name? So you want to continue being referred to as ‘star’?”

“I don’t know, would _you_ want to be referred to as ‘human’?” the star replied sarcastically. “I mean, I guess it _is_ better than being called a frog…”

“That’s a no, then. You are not giving me many options here. Perhaps you would like to be called by a term of endearment?” L deadpanned. “Like…honey, sweetheart, dearest—”

“OH, FUCK NO—”

“Love, cutie pie, precious, sugar—”

“LIGHT!” the star shouted. “I’m Light, okay?! Just stop, please!”

“Hmm. Light? Liiiiiight,” L said experimentally, the name rolling off his tongue. “Light is an apt name for a star.”

“That’s not the first time I’ve been told that,” Light said tiredly.

“…Light?”

“Yes, that’s my name. Don’t wear it out. Congratulations for wringing it out of me, you prick.”

“Well, does Light know he is still holding onto my hand?” L asked, eyes wide with feigned innocence. Light jumped and yanked his hand out of L’s grip as if he had been burnt. L bit back a laugh when he saw Light’s face turn red.

“You…” Light balled his hands into fists, and without warning, punched L right in the face. L tumbled backwards and hit his back painfully on a rough boulder. As he struggled to sit up, the star gazed down at him without remorse.

 “Just remember that the only reason I am with you is because of our deal,” Light hissed, yanking up L by the collar of his shirt and staring at him right in the eye. “I am not a human you can abuse or take advantage of. We are _not_ friends. I have no intention of learning anything more about you other than what is absolutely necessary. We will not interact with each other unless we are forced to. After we return to your little repair shop and do your little tests, you _will_ give me that Babylon Candle and I _will_ return home. Once we part ways we will never see each other again. Capiche?” L gave him a tiny nod.

Light shot him another murderous look, before turning around to completely ignore L as he shakily stood up and smoothed the wrinkles of his shirt. They soon resumed their tedious walk, albeit this time it was in complete silence save for the clink of the silver chain wrapped around the star’s wrist.

Good Lord… what had L’s mother gotten him into?!

~~~~~~~~

_So this is where Higuchi lives? How the mighty have fallen._

It was a tiny, tiny covered wagon pulled by a sickly horse, resting in a dark and desolate field. The wagon was old and decrepit, its rusty metal wheels ready to fall apart at any moment. The horse looked like it could keel over and die at any minute. And there were all sorts of strange and alarming aromas wafting out from the opening of the wagon. All in all, it made for one inglorious sight.

Nearby, a woman with messy black hair and a silver chain around her ankle stood barefoot, preoccupied with the task of stirring a pot of soup hanging over an open flame. She took one look at the unannounced visitor, before dropping her wooden spoon and disappearing into the wagon. There was no doubt she was going off to inform her master of the visitor’s presence.

_This is just… pathetic._ The visitor, Misa, thought. She laughed quietly as she observed the scene. _He really hit rock bottom. Do I really have to ask for help from this joker?_

“What do you mean, someone’s here for me? No one in this godforsaken place should know where to find me!” a voice suddenly boomed, startling Misa. She chortled when she recognized it as Higuchi’s voice.

A pause. “Well, make her go away then!”

Another pause. Then, few indecipherable mumbles, most probably coming from the servant girl. “It’s the middle of the goddamn night. Can’t this shit wait? Why do I have to—”

There were more shuffling sounds from inside the wagon before the same shaggy haired woman emerged, accompanied by a very irritated-looking man.

“Who the hell would try to look for me anyways?” The man, Higuchi, said. “Just tell her to get lost—”

“Tell me to what?” Misa asked. Higuchi’s eyes snapped up to meet Misa’s.

There was a tense silence for a few seconds until Higuchi breathed, “Ella, get inside _now._ ”

“But, master, I—” Ignoring her protest, Higuchi waved his hand distractedly and transformed the woman into a small black crow. The crow cawed loudly before flapping its wings and flying over to perch on top of the wagon, the chain clinking noisily around the bird’s ankle.

Misa shot a wry glance at the black goat pulling her cart, which seemed to have hidden behind the other goat in an attempt to be as far away from Higuchi as physically possible. She climbed off the cart to address the former Kira. “Hello, Higuchi. It’s been too long. I see you still have the servant girl the Shinigami gave you.”

Higuchi wrapped an unwelcome arm around Misa’s shoulder. “Ella’s treated me well. Of course I’m going to keep her. But, well, she’s a slave. She doesn’t have much of a choice either, does she?” he let out an unattractive laugh reminiscent of a donkey’s bray. “C’mon, have a seat. I’m about to have my supper, why don’t you join me?”

“That’d be nice.” Misa scooted closer to him and batted her eyelashes, trying to quell the urge to slap Higuchi in the face. “But I came here for another reason. I came because I had to ask for a favor.”

“What is it? I’m happy to help.” Higuchi fell for Misa’s act hook, line and sinker.

_Gotcha,_ Misa thought. “I was perhaps thinking that you could do a quick location spell for me? There’s something I need to find and I cannot do the spell myself.”

“Why do you need to do a location spell in the first place?”

“I—um, I don’t exactly know. It’s an order from the Shinigami,” Misa quickly said, scrambling to come up with an excuse. She sidled up to Higuchi and asked, “So is it alright if I ask you to do the spell? I can’t do magic.”

Higuchi looked thoughtful for a moment, before smiling at Misa. “We can do better than a location spell. If you stay here and have a meal with me, I’ll lend you my Oracle stones. You don’t need to be a witch to use them.”

Misa wrinkled her brow. _Really? Have a meal with the perv? But if I want those stones, well…_ “I have a busy schedule, but I guess that’s okay if you’ll give them to me after we’re done. I need to get going soon.”

Higuchi clapped his hands together. “Alright then!” He disappeared inside the wagon, and within a few minutes he emerged with two bowls. He went over to the pot of soup simmering over the fire, filled the bowls, and gave one to Misa.

“Thanks?” said Misa, staring at the unappetizing concoction in her bowl. Higuchi proceeded to slurp the soup noisily, eyeing Misa from the side of his bowl.

She stared at her soup, silently asking anyone in heaven who was listening to take her far, far away from. After a few moments of nothing, Misa sighed and took a tiny sip from the side of the bowl.

Higuchi smiled creepily when he saw Misa finally drink the soup. “So,” he said casually, “what exactly are you trying to find? Must be important if you went to _me_ to find it.”

To Misa’s horror, her mouth answered for her without her permission. “We’re looking for a star. Not me, exactly, but the Shinigami. They need to harvest its energy.”

“Interesting.” Higuchi took another noisy slurp of his soup and scratched his chin. “So why do the Shinigami need to harvest a star’s energy? Why don’t you just leave it to me, I could certainly use the immortality of a star’s heart.”

“I don’t know exactly why the Shinigami need to— ” Misa clapped a hand over her mouth. “What the _hell_ did you do to me?”

Higuchi grinned crookedly at her. “No hard feelings, sweetheart, but the way you’re trying to suck up to me is suspicious. I just had to check.”

“Did you just give me a truth potion?” Misa shrieked, upending her bowl and glaring venomously at Higuchi. .

“I’m not as gullible as you think, you know,” said Higuchi. “I knew you were up to something. Though, now that I know what we’re looking for… I’m not going to let you just have that star. It’s mine now.”

“You—!” Misa scowled. “You wouldn’t even know about the star if I hadn’t gone to you!”

“That was your mistake then. Why?” Higuchi challenged. “What’re you gonna do, huh? Even if you’re a Kira, you’re just a little girl. I’m a sorcerer trained in white magic. You can’t touch me.” He waved his hand dismissively.

Misa’s hands twitched. “You sure about that, bastard?” she asked, an evil smirk on her lips. “You think I’m helpless?”

Higuchi’s smile fell. “What do you mean?”

“I mean… this.” Misa’s hand jerked towards Higuchi’s forehead. As soon as she pressed her fingers to Higuchi’s face, he jolted abruptly, his entire body suddenly overcome with waves of excruciating pain. Blood dribbled out of his open mouth and his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

As he fell to the ground, convulsing violently and his meal all but forgotten, Misa leaned in to whisper in his ear. “Am I just a little girl now, Higuchi? You’re not the only one who can do cute magic tricks too. You shouldn’t have underestimated me.”

“Arghhhhhh….”

“Hurts, doesn’t it?”  Misa said, softly touching Higuchi’s oily locks of hair and twirling a strand around her finger. “That’s what Shinigami magic does. Isn’t it so much more fun than white magic?”

“Are… are you batshit insane, woman?” Higuchi managed to say in spite of the curse. “If you use that kind of magic too much—aghhhhh—it’ll rot you from the inside out!”

“Of course not, I’ve been careful—” Misa broke off as she glimpsed at her hand. Already, it was a sickly white color and the liver spots have grown darker. _Shit, has it always been this wrinkled? I have to stop this curse! But how do I stop him from finding the star? Wait, maybe I can…_

“Well, I can’t stop you from trying to find the star, but I’m going to make it a hell of a lot harder for you to find it,” she told him.

 She began to chant, trying to finish the curse before the unwanted side effects showed on her skin again. _“You will never be able to perceive the star’s true form. You will never be able to hear the star’s voice. If you should encounter the star, you shall never be able to lay a finger upon it.”_ Higuchi glowed brightly, the red light of the curse enveloping him. The crow perched on the wagon tilted its head curiously.

When the red light subsided, the pain finally left Higuchi’s body. He looked up at Misa with newfound respect and fear. Misa crossed her arms and stared at him.

“Now give me your Oracle stones. I had that gross meal with you, and now you’re going to hold up your end of the bargain. Unless you want another curse placed on you?” She threatened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Light, not his face! I guess you could say L was... starstruck! Hahaha!
> 
> *crickets*
> 
> Ahem. I'll stop now.


	4. Insults and Innkeepers

“ _Please,_ L, can we stop to take a rest?”

“Why do you need to rest?” L responded, tugging absentmindedly at the hem of his shirt. “The more I learn about Light, the more I become skeptical about whether he’s really a star or not.”

“I’m skeptical about whether you’re human at all!” Light said angrily. “Why aren’t you tired? It’s the middle of the afternoon, we haven’t eaten anything nor slept a wink, and you don’t even seem the slightest bit fazed by that! We’ve been walking since last night!”

L stuck his hand inside his jeans pocket and pulled out what appeared to be candies wrapped in silver foil. “That’s because I have these,” he explained, offering them to Light. “I forgot to tell you—I have an extraordinarily unusual metabolism for a human. I can go many days subsisting only on sweets and sugary foods.”

Light stared at him. “No way. That _can’t_ be healthy.”

“Try it and maybe you’ll see.”

Light turned his nose up at L’s offer. “No thanks, I’m a bit frightened by what’s in those things. How in the heavens do you run on sugar alone? There _must_ be something else mixed in that.”

L sighed. “You have my word that there’s nothing suspicious in these treats. Weren’t you complaining about being hungry just now?”

“Again, why should I trust you of all people?”

“Suit yourself.” L popped one of the candies in his mouth and hummed. “I do not sleep very much, either. Sleep is counterproductive to my work. But I did ask Light last night if he wanted a three hour break. Light declined the offer of rest. I assumed he was well rested for the time being.”

Light smacked his palm against his forehead. “Look, do you see any stars right now?”

L’s eyebrows knit together when he looked up to see a bright, cloudless noontime sky. “…no?”

“Yes. That’s because during the day, the stars disappear to sleep,” Light said slowly, as if he was talking to a mentally challenged toddler. “Do you get what I’m saying? _Stars sleep during the day._ I declined to sleep last night because _I am practically incapable of sleeping at night. I sleep during the day, along with the rest of the stars in the whole universe._ ”

“That does not make even the tiniest bit of sense. If I accept that, I’d have to completely redefine conventional logic. There are so many things off about your statement that I don’t even know where to begin.” Light seemed calm, but his hands looked ready to punch L again after hearing this.

“Are you implying that I don’t know what I’m saying?” he fumed. “Me, a star? A fucking _star_ doesn’t know when stars sleep—”

“I was not implying anything!” L raised both of his hands in surrender. “It’s just that… all right. I am not used to any of _this_ , okay?”

“What part?” Light rolled his eyes. “A star falling to Earth, or you holding it captive? Because honestly, I thought the whole kidnapping thing was just business as usual for you humans.”

“I was not talking about that at all.” L’s expression soured. “Why do you have such a negative view on humans? What exactly is Light’s problem? I do not understand why he is so infuriated all the time. I have been nothing but charitable towards him, and even offered him a beneficial agreement that will send him off to wherever he so wishes. Why are you so hostile to me? You don’t know me or any other human. What does being a human have to do with anything?”

“Everything!” Light growled. “I know you. I know your kind. A human lifetime is just a blink of an eye compared to mine. And yet, humanity has managed to wreak more havoc in their short, pitiful lives than a star could ever hope to imagine. A star wouldn’t even be able to think of such pointless violence even once in the countless millennia they’d live. Humanity is so willing, so able, so _accepting_ of such depravity that the few and far between humans that have a shred of decency and compassion in them get mercilessly crushed under the foot of the rest of your savage race.

“I’ve watched humans for hundreds of years. I’ve watched them start wars. I’ve watched them kill the ones they loved. I watched them turn against each other; I watched them die for traitors, backstabbers and liars. I watched them taint innocents with their corrupted ideals and shatter their hope. I watched them ‘love’ each other, only to sell them out when circumstances became too difficult for them. I watched them, not understanding, not knowing that it was human nature to be self-serving and greedy. I had foolishly thought that humans would become more intelligent and empathetic over time. I had thought that humanity, a young race by the standards of stars, would mature and outgrow their childish and barbaric tendencies. I wasted so many centuries of my life giving these undeserving humans a chance. So don’t you _dare_ tell me I don’t know anything about humans.”

“I…”

“But they didn’t change. I’ve watched humans become more barbaric and cruel over time. Every minute that passed made me more certain that humans were the least deserving creatures on this planet. Even the most vicious tiger, the most bloodthirsty lion, and the most dangerous animal that has ever existed on Earth combined could not compare to the cruelty of humanity,” Light continued coolly, as if he did not notice L’s alarmed expression. “Time and time again, my hopes were dashed when I thought that humanity had found sympathy in their frigid hearts. Time and time again, I was disappointed by them. And also terrified; because if humanity treats its own kind with such contempt, where does that leave me? I washed my hands of the pain of watching them. I wanted nothing to do with humanity, and I had thought that was the end of it. That was the best decision of my life. I hadn’t cared about your kind for years.

“So imagine my surprise, apprehension and fear when I fell to Earth nearly five centuries after I decided that watching humans was beneath my notice. Imagine my confusion in meeting who is possibly the strangest human that I have ever had the displeasure of seeing. And that’s saying something, because I have seen one too many humans in my lifetime. Imagine how many awful things I had witnessed, centuries, no, _millennia_ of these memories piling up in the back of my mind. Stars do not forget easily.

“And imagine how a star must feel confronting a human for the very first time after going through the horror of witnessing their capacity for brutality and bloodshed. Imagine the terror of this star, being stuck in a foreign land and held captive by this very same human. And on top of that, imagine that this idiotic human can’t even grasp the simple concept of a non-human having completely different sleeping patterns and eating habits as he does!” Light finished, his honey-brown eyes narrowed into slits. His mouth was twisted into a snarl, and he was breathing heavily. “So pardon me if I don’t feel like thanking you for taking on the supposedly great burden of helping me find a way home. You have a problem with that?”

There was a long pause before L answered him, his voice a little uneven.

“I see… I don’t have anything to say. If that is truly your view of humanity, then I will not protest,” L said sincerely. “I do not completely agree to your hasty assessment of humanity, but I’m not going to try to change your mind if you really feel so strongly about it. It is none of my concern. But we have a deal. If I honor my end of the bargain, you must honor yours. I admit I was wrong to force you to conform to my sleep and eating habits. I honestly did not know what I was expecting when I discovered Light.”

“You didn’t know that you would find a star in the place where you saw a star crash?” Light raised an eyebrow.

“No. I—I did not even—Anyways,” L stuttered, rubbing his face and changing the subject, “I know you want to get away from me as fast as possible. But we cannot afford to stop now if we still want to end our acquaintanceship within a week. I can only allow you to sleep come nightfall. That is the only way we can have a quick journey.”

 “I can’t wait that long to sleep!” Light complained. “I’m too hungry and tired to even think straight! If I don’t get to eat or sleep soon, I will die from exhaustion! Do you want to bring home a dead star?!”

“There is only a twenty-two point four percent chance of that ever actually happening.”

“L!”

“Alright, alright! Fine!” L said irritably. “I will fetch you some food.”

Light rolled his eyes. “Thank you,” he said sarcastically, stretching his arms. “Now where do we—wait, what in heaven’s name are you doing?”

L had wrapped the silver chain around the thick trunk of a large oak tree. The chain shimmered again and tied itself into an unbreakable knot. L gave Light a mischievous look, obviously satisfied with the fact that the star was shackled firmly in place. “I’m only giving Light what he wants. I cannot risk him escaping while I find food. Stay here and rest while l get it for you.” With a glance thrown over his shoulder, L disappeared in the underbrush.

Light stewed in silence for a good ten minutes before he let out a deafening, frustrated shout.

“Unbelievable.” Light gritted through his teeth, tugging his imprisoned hand. No such luck. It was stuck firmly in place by the moron. 

The silver chain did not yield to tough wooden sticks, jagged rocks and even the hard bite of Light’s teeth. Time and time again the chain simply wound itself together after Light managed to break one of the links. Several unpromising tries later, he gave up. Light leaned against the trunk of the tree and gazed up at the blue sky. “If there’s anyone up there who’s still awake, who’s still listening… please help me,” he whispered.

~~~~~~~~

Misa stared at the bored faces of Takada and Mikami reflected in her enchanted mirror. “So what happened? Am I on the right track or anything?”

The two other Kiras seemed to be more interested in the entrails of the dead fox they were hacking apart than the dilemma Misa was currently facing.  With a curt nod, Takada replied, “Seems so. That’s what the divination from the fox entrails is implying.”

 Misa raised her eyebrows. “That can’t be right! I haven’t seen a single soul for miles! Let alone a star! I think Higuchi’s tricked me with the Oracle stones!” She gestured to her surroundings for emphasis, letting the two other Kiras catch a glimpse of how empty and barren it was. She was standing on a rocky cliff hundreds of feet up on top of a mountain completely devoid of life. All that could be heard was the distant sound of the waves crashing at the side of the cliff. She was miles from the nearest inhabited village in Stormhold and she would be hard-pressed to find an easy way to get there. “I don’t think anyone would have reason to be here.”

“No, no, Oracle stones are real magic,” Takada said dismissively. “I believe the Oracle stones are trying to tell you something important. Perhaps the star is yet to pass through that area? Best you keep a close watch on it and see if anything unusual happens.”

“Aren’t Oracle stones unable to tell the future?” Mikami butted in, intrigued by the conversation.

“Far future,” Takada corrected. “The stones are telling you that the star will be in that area very soon. So soon, in fact, that it might be there in less than a day. You must make preparations to retrieve its heart.”

“How will I know what the star looks like?” Misa asked.

Mikami and Takada exchanged glances. “I don’t know. You’ll just have to figure it out,” said Mikami.

“I can’t just go in without knowing! What if the star’s invisible? What if I don’t notice the star pass by? What if the star looks like a person? What if I accidentally kill someone who’s not the star!?”

“We don’t know what the star will look like either!” Mikami retorted. “For all we know, the star could look like some hideous beast! We really can’t say anything useful to you. But guessing from the legend of the first fallen star, I think it would appear beautiful beyond comprehension. That’s what all the versions of the fairy tale agree on.”

Misa scratched her head. “So I’m supposed to expect some drop-dead gorgeous star-person-thing then? I can live with that.”

“I think what Mikami meant to say was that you’ll know it’s the star when you’ll see it.” Takada had already returned her attention to the dead fox currently laid out on the table, clearly giving up on having a decent conversation with Misa. “Just wait for it to get comfortable, then… CATCH IT OFF GUARD!” she punctuated her statement by slamming a knife straight into the gut of the fox. Mikami instinctively flinched away from her.

“How am I supposed to make it comfor—”

“Too many questions, Misa!” Mikami yelled, massaging his temples. “Can you do us all a favor and try finishing something yourself for once? You’re Misa. Don’t you have any idea how charismatic you can be? You can get Higuchi to hand over his rare Oracle stones in a heartbeat if you wanted to! And you did! Your persuasive powers are practically unparalleled in this world. Just bat your eyelashes and everyone falls for you. I’ve no doubt that you’ll have that hapless star eating out of the palm of your hand in no time.”

Misa shifted her weight to the other foot uncomfortably. “Well, Mikami, actually Higuchi didn’t…”

“Enough. I don’t want to talk more about this. Just do it.” Before Misa could argue, Takada waved her hand, cutting off the connection. The surface of the mirror turned opaque for a few seconds until Misa’s reflection returned.

“Wait, Takada! Mikami!” she shook the mirror in her hands. “You two… if breaking mirrors didn’t give seven years of bad luck, I’d have chucked this in the middle of the ocean!”

No reply.

“Thanks for all the help, guys,” she muttered darkly. “I’m so telling Rem that you didn’t help out.” A loud bleat made Misa turn her attention to her unwilling and passive audience, the two goats which had pulled her cart all over the forests and mountains of Stormhold.

The white goat wore an utterly uninterested look on its face as it returned Misa’s stare.  It seemed to know that Misa’s mission was at a standstill, and yet, it did not care in the slightest.  It spat out the half-eaten grass it was chewing and laid down on the hard ground, as if it decided that taking an uncomfortable nap on a literal bed of rocks was a better choice to make than facing the truly tiring antics of its new master. It shot one last look of indifference at Misa before succumbing to unconsciousness.

The black goat had an irritating expression on its face, knowing that Misa was in trouble. It had its lips pulled back from its teeth, exposing its pink gums. The odd gesture made it look like it was attempting to smirk at Misa. The former goat-herder-turned-goat looked as if he would be laughing uproariously if he still had his old mouth to do it with. Loud whines rolled out of its mouth like a crude imitation of human laughter. Even when Misa raised her hand as a warning, the goat only bleated and danced on its hooves, as if to say, _“What do you think you could do to me, huh? You already turned me into a goat! You don’t scare me!”_

“You think this is funny? I wouldn’t laugh if I were you,” she warned, when her attempts to silence the black goat didn’t go as well as planned. “I’m really tempted right now to make some goat stew… and don’t think I’d use the white goat for it!”

The black goat was unimpressed. Without hesitation, it trotted over to Misa and nonchalantly sniffed her garments. It gave Misa one final stare before taking a big mouthful of the end of her dress and yanking with all its might.

RIIIIIIIIIP.

“You fucking excuse for an animal!” Misa swore loudly as the goat tore away a piece of her dress large enough to uncover part of her thighs. The black goat scampered away as fast as its little legs could carry it, its mouth still full of fabric, until the rope around its neck jerked it back from its escape. “That’s it. I’m having goat stew for lunch!”

Misa wrapped her hands around the goat’s neck and squeezed tightly. “I thought I was doing you a favor, letting you live this long. You’ve been a thorn in my side ever since. You should be thankful that I have the patience of a saint, that’s why I was able to put up with you. You were useful as a slave, but now you’ve outlived your usefulness. I have nothing more to do with a smelly little thing like you. So I’ll just wring your neck and we’ll go our separate ways, shall we?” she hissed, slowly applying more pressure to the fingers wrapped around its neck.

The goat bleated and thrashed wildly, the terror clearly showing in its features. Misa cackled and declared, “Too late for you. That’s what you get for laughing at me. A useless goat like you deserves a humiliating death… wait.”

The hands squeezing the life out of the goat stopped abruptly. When Misa’s hands dropped to her sides, the goat gawked at her with a confounded expression on its face.

“Hmmm. Maybe you won’t be so useless to me after all,” she said, bemused. She was deep in thought, and a devilishly brilliant idea had suddenly come to her. “As a goat, you are, but maybe… if I need to make the star feel welcome…”

The Kira clapped her hands loudly, jolting the white goat out of its short-lived nap. “Alright! Change of plans! I’m not having black goat stew today! You, yes I’m talking to you,” she said, pointing to the black goat which had pointed its front hoof towards itself in confusion, “are going to help me catch a star tonight.”

 Misa put on a determined smile on her face and lifted her hand up high. Channeling the power of the forbidden magic she desperately needed, Misa closed her eyes and shouted a spell to the skies above. From the palm of her hand, a powerful wave of magic was suddenly released into the atmosphere. She slowly chanted the magic Latin words that would bring her spell to life: _creatura_ , the word for creation, _dolus,_ the word for deceit, and _recensere,_ the word for change.

As soon as she finished casting the spell, a loud, roaring wind enveloped her, almost like a tornado had decided to form out of nowhere. Jets of emerald green light radiated from Misa’s body and proceeded to weave themselves frantically into the shapes and forms she desired. In a blink of an eye, commands and wishes became corporeal.

 _Just one more time,_ Misa prayed. _Don’t let me down, Shinigami magic._ Misa tentatively opened one eye.

“Yes! Yes! It worked! This is the best idea ever!” she cried triumphantly, twirling around in glee. She let out a loud whoop, and gave the gobsmacked goats a wink. “Well, what do you think?”

The black goat’s mouth hung open in shock.

“Goats… say hello to Misa’s master plan!” Misa said with a flourish, gesturing to her grandest creation yet. They were standing right in the middle of an inn, a two-storey building complete with a stable full of horses, fully furnished interior, a shingled roof, and large wooden doors. A crudely painted sign that said THE SLAUGHTERED PRINCE INN in dripping red paint hung on a pole next to the inn. It was truly the most spectacular display of magic any witch has done in centuries.

Misa snapped her fingers. “Oh, I almost forgot the pièce de résistance!” She quickly laid her hand on each of the goats and casted a spell over them. When she removed her hand, two bewildered humans gaped back at her. “You’re more useful to me as people. Pardon me if I made—ahem—some minor improvements.”

The human-turned-goat-turned-human again assessed his new body. He took one look at his plump bosom, his soft curves, and his lack of facial hair. Sighing, (s)he said, “I suppose being a lady isn’t as bad as being a goat. But how does turning us into humans and conjuring up an inn help you find a star?”

Misa beamed. “Well, I have to get the star’s heart. I could ambush the star, but I won’t be able to harvest the heart’s power if I cut it out before it starts to glow. And a star’s heart only glows if it is happy.” She leaned against a table, admiring her handiwork. “Our job is to make the star as comfortable as possible before sending it off to its death.

The lady winced. “I still think this is a bad idea.” she said, jerking her thumb at the other transformed goat, who was staring at the new appendages that had replaced its front legs. The goat-turned-man let out a terrified bleat as it wiggled its fingers. “What do you intend to do with me and that… thing?”

“I’ll be waiting here and doing preparations. You and the other goat just wait near the door for the star to show up.” She clenches her fist threateningly. “Don’t even try to escape, or so help me I’ll—”

“I know, I know. You’ll curse me.” The lady muttered under her breath and yanked the other man’s sleeve. They disappeared quickly, leaving Misa to her own devices.

Shaking her head, Misa turned her attention to the mirror on the wall next to her. The reflection of a tired woman gazed back at her, mocking her with the image of her silver streaks of hair and crow’s feet around her eyes.

This star better be worth the lost lifespan she was giving up.

~~~~~~~~

Light grimaced as his stomach growled loudly for what seemed like the millionth time.

“For heaven’s sake… what’s taking L so long?” Light complained, rubbing his chafed wrist that was bound with the silver chain. He had literally been sitting there for hours since L had gone off in his supposed hunt for food. He wasn’t annoyed anymore, he was positively fuming.

Of all the humans that could have discovered him, why did it have to be that frog? He seemed to embody the absolute worst in humanity. L was greedy, manipulative, insulting, uncaring, and a thousand other despicable things that Light could name off the top of his head. And the cherry on top of this whole pile of bullshit? The way that L didn’t even bat an eye after Light told him the whole ugly truth about his vile race! So infuriating!

 Was choosing to trust the most untrustworthy human ever Light’s only choice? But if he didn’t do this, how was he going to get home? His situation’s not really that bad compared to the alternatives, right? If L was really a man of his word—and Light was honestly unsure if he was— he’d only have to put up with this prick until he’s done dragging him off to whatever mad scientist lair he has, and then he’d never have to see his beautiful-cough- _stupid and ugly_ face ever again. He’d go home, put this whole mess behind him, have a laugh with Sayu and forget it’s ever happened. No more thoughts about dangerous humans with unsettlingly mesmerizing eyes. No more thoughts about the bloodshed and hatred that happens on Earth.  Just a few more days of hell.  This is the only shot he’s got at going home. Though it would have been better if he could escape the clutches of the annoying human.

He can do this.

Light fingered the silver chain distractedly, watching his surroundings grow dimmer as night fell.

But now L was gone.  He hasn’t returned in half a day. Light has what he wanted now. He has his peace. He’s alone. So why wasn’t he… relieved?

  _What if something bad happened to him?_ His treacherous mind whispered.

The thought was quickly banished from Light’s mind, partly because it should be none of Light’s concern, and partly because there was an unusual sick feeling washing over him. The feeling in his gut was alien and entirely new to Light, and he refused to entertain it. _For heaven’s sake, it’s not your fault what happens to him. Stop feeling so damn guilty, he’s a human, remember?_ he told himself. _Stop. Fucking. Worrying._

No. The more likely scenario was that L thought Light was too much effort to deal with and had ditched him for good, which was good news for Light. At least that’s one more problem solved. But what was truly, truly unfortunate was the fact that L had disappeared without releasing him. Which meant that Light was going to have to stay tied to the tree until some human either helped him or he died of starvation and exhaustion.

Wait. He had to rely on a human for help?  The second option is looking more and more appealing by the minute. Light buried his face in his hands, resigned to his fate of living the rest of his short and miserable existence tied to a tree.  

As he sat down, he was jabbed in the chest by a sharp corner of an object tucked away in his coat pocket.

Light froze. Slowly and carefully, he pulled out the forgotten object in his coat.

“What are you?” he murmured to no one in particular, staring down at the clack notebook that bore the ominous title of “Death Note”. “You must be an enchanted object, if someone bothered to send you up into the sky at all…” carefully minding not to tear the pages, Light flipped to the very first one and was surprised to see undecipherable scribbles written in a language he didn’t recognize. After a few seconds, the nonsensical characters blurred and changed into words that Light could now read.

“You are _definitely_ enchanted,” Light said to himself. Leaning in closer, he examined the first line of newly translated text.

** Rules of the Death Note **

**The human whose name is written in this notebook shall die.**

Light read the words. Then read it again, more slowly, barely believing his eyes. _What the fuck is this? Is this some kind of sick joke? Heaven help me, I really can’t understand what goes on in the minds of humans…_  Light ran a finger on the words. _Wait a second. What I saw earlier, the instant translation, it definitely indicated that the notebook is enchanted. So if it’s enchanted, that must mean…_

Light scooted as far away from the Death Note as possible, horror settling over his face. _That thing is the real deal! It’s not a joke, it’s cursed! Why should it surprise me that the humans have thought of creating something so obviously evil? It’s just another example of how messed up humanity is! Fuck, I’ve already activated it! I don’t have a chance to burn it before it does something to me!_

Light shielded his eyes, preparing for the worst. But the black notebook sat there, seemingly innocent with its pages open and waiting. After what seemed like an eternity, Light lowered his hand and gawked at it quizzically. _Hold on. Nothing happened. Is it because I have to use it before the effects happen? Do I actually have to follow the rules written in this damn notebook so it would activate? What kind of a useless curse is that?_ Light picked up the Death Note again, with two tentative, careful fingers, and read the rest of the words written on the first page. Each “rule” was based on the terrifying assumption that the name of a human written in it would _die._ Light shuddered.

Other than the horrifying contents written on the first page, it looked like an ordinary notebook.

_Should I… try it?_

Light’s mind screeched to a halt. No. That was not a good idea at all. For one, he had a sense of morality, unlike the humans who created the thing. He won’t stoop to a beast’s level. He won’t use something so clearly created for evil purposes. Besides, he didn’t have anything to write with, and he was stuck to this tree. Perhaps he could ask for a pen when he figured out how to escape—

_Damn it Light, don’t write in an obviously enchanted notebook just to satisfy your curiosity. Are you really prepared to take responsibility for a life you ended if it turns out to be real? Even if it’s a life as worthless as a human’s… a human who could turn out to be a criminal… a human who could grow up to be a thief, a liar, a murderer…_

Light read the first rule again. _Would a human who was a criminal… deserve to live?_

A loud rustle from the bushes startled Light into hastily tucking the Death Note into his coat. “Hello?” he called out cautiously.

 There was no reply except for another rustling sound. He stood up, picked up a sharp stick he found on the ground, and continued, “L…?”

The rustling sounds grew louder. Light gripped the stick tighter. “If it’s you, L, I’m going to hit you so fucking hard you’ll see stars!  And I’m not talking about myself!”

A pause. Then finally, something stepped out of the shadows.

But the thing that emerged was definitely no L. It was a lone stallion with a glowing white pelt and silvery mane. It fixed its lightning blue eyes at Light and pawed the ground with a large hoof. Adorning the top of its head was a twisted horn almost as long as Light’s forearm. It had an ethereal beauty that reminded Light of home.

“How did you…” Light said in amazement. “Did someone send for you?” The unicorn whinnied and beckoned to its back with its head. Light was greeted with a deep voice that could only be heard in his mind. “ _I was sent by someone who worries about you. I am helping you. I will let you ride with me to safety.”_

Wordlessly, Light pulled at the wrist bound with the silver chain. The unicorn looked at it for a few seconds, snorted, and tapped the chain with its horn lightly. _“I see your predicament. Do not fret. You can be freed by the death of the chain’s master, but the chain may also be broken by the magic of my horn.”_ The unicorn’s powerful magic undid the spell of the silver chain with ease, breaking one  of the chain’s links. In seconds Light had his hand back, and one foot thrown over the back of the unicorn.

 _What about L?_ a voice at the back of his mind whispered.

 _Screw him,_ he told it back. _He was going to leave me anyway. I’d have better luck not asking for help from a human like that._

And he rode off into the forest without looking back.

~~~~~~~~

_Those villagers were quite tedious. How have they even been living? It’s as if they’ve never heard of doing anything without the help of their so-called sorcerers and mages._

L was exhausted and tired, and he had passed the limit of his daily social interaction about, well, ten hours ago. The food he had obtained for Light came from a village not far from the outskirts of the forest. He had offered his services as a repairman in exchange for food. He was first met with derision because they thought he was one of them: a normal human with no magical abilities. But when he showed off his technical expertise, he was swarmed with questioning passersby and travelling witches. Every time he repaired something or created a simple system without the use of magic to solve their problems, he was barraged with questions about where he had learned his “craft.” And of course, they didn’t believe L when he said he wasn’t a mage.

And all he got was food he wasn’t going to eat himself. They weren’t even sweets. Most of it was just mysterious roasted meat from an animal L wasn’t quite sure about. He hoped Light wasn’t picky.

If the villagers didn’t act like children at all— _“How did you_ do _that?” “No need to be so amazed. It was just a simple matter of learning basic mechanics.” “I have not seen such wondrous use of magic! Such sorcery! You must teach my son, he is studying to become a grand wizard!”—_ it surely wouldn’t have taken very long. But these people haven’t even heard of a clock, they were so used to doing everything the primitive and magical way. They had too many questions and L had too little time.

When he reached the clearing he had left Light in, he set down the sack filled with food and stretched his muscles. “Light, I’m back. I apologize for the long wait. It was not easy obtaining your food. You have to eat quickly, we have wasted enough time—”

L stopped short when he reached the oak tree. He had sworn it was exact same tree that he had tied Light to, but he was nowhere to be found. He checked the nearby trees just to be sure, but there was no sign of the handsome boy who claimed to be a star.

“Light, I don’t have time to be playing games with you. I would not appreciate it if you’re hiding behind a tree hoping to hit me with a stick or anything else. I’ve been hit enough times this week.”

L pondered for a moment if he had simply forgotten where Light was, or had gone to the wrong oak tree, but he had quickly dismissed the idea. L didn’t make mistakes. Not one as simple as remembering where he had left a person—

L’s thoughts trailed off when he saw something gleamed in the grass under the oak tree.  He slowly walked over to it, crouched down, and pulled the shiny ribbon-like object to his eyes.

It was a piece of glittering silver chain.

L silently swore. Of course he didn’t make a mistake. Of course he was right. This _was_ the oak tree he had tied Light to. The reason why he couldn’t find Light was because he had somehow escaped.

_There go my chances of studying a star. Can’t say I am surprised by this turn of events, though. A restless and intelligent person like Light would have found a way to escape the chain sooner or later._

L sighed in disappointment, pocketing the now useless piece of chain as a memento. He had no meeting with his mother to speak of, and no star to show for his troubles. He had gained nothing from his travels. Which meant that the trip beyond the border was a failure. He hated failures.

How did Light even escape the chains? Weren’t the chains supposed to be “unbreakable”? Just goes to show how unreliable magic was. _No,_ L decided _, science is far more reliable and easier to predict. It is so much better in every aspect._

L looked at his sack full of food, made a mental note to throw it all away in the morning, and laid down at the base of the oak tree. He closed his eyes, thinking of the long and possibly treacherous trip home.

Tomorrow was going to be a boring day.

~~~~~~~~

_“We’re here.”_

Light’s unicorn stopped at the base of a cliff and neighed. A large brick house rested on top of the cliff, eerie and silent. It seemed abandoned, yet the telltale flickering lights in the windows told them otherwise.

The unicorn eyed Light soulfully as he climbed off its back. _“This is the closest inhabited place that I can drop you off at. I cannot stray too near to the humans because many hunt me for my pelt and my horn. Hopefully the ones who live here would have the kind heart to transport you closer to civilization.”_

Light shook his head. “I know. But why drop me off at a human’s home? Surely you understand my apprehension of humanity, you being hunted and all.” The unicorn tilted its head in confusion.

“Do you not hate them too, for driving you away?” Light elaborated.

 _“I do not hate them. Choosing to stay away is my own choice,”_ it said in a knowing tone. The unicorn leaned down and gazed at Light with one of its blue eyes.  _“I see the humans in a different light from yours. I sense much hatred in your heart. It is unbefitting of a star. Someday you shall understand that the taint of others do not truly affect those whose hearts are good. And someday, I hope you see that even those with the taint can change for the better. Your mindset is a frightening one to have. If you do not keep it in check, you will easily become that which you yourself once despised. Do you understand me?”_

“Yes.” Light blinked. Did he just get preached to by a horse?

The unicorn whinnied again and turned its back to Light. _"Talk_ _to these humans and ask them for help. Take care of yourself. I wish you well, Light."_ And with that, it galloped away.

Light glanced back at the house. “If I die by the hands of the humans in that house, I’m blaming you,” he muttered under his breath, beginning his long ascent to the house.

Only when he reached the house did he realize that it was not a house at all, but an inn.  There was a pole near the inn’s door with a sign hanging on it that said “SLAUGHTERED PRINCE INN” in bright red capital letters.  Outside the inn, it was dark and cold, with not a single lit candle to even welcome any would-be visitors. It was as if the owners of the inn wanted to scare away its own guests.

Light raised his eyebrows. “Slaughtered Prince Inn”? What kind of people named something like that? But then again, he didn’t really know what humans liked anymore. For all he knew, they found it hilarious.

Taking a deep breath, Light collected himself, and used the heavy iron knocker to alert whoever was inside of his presence.  After what seemed like an eternity standing outside in the freezing wind, the door swung open with a creak. The woman on the other side had long, black hair and odd clothes that Light thought was more suited to a farmer, or maybe a shepherd. Upon seeing Light, the woman’s face morphed into an expression of alarm.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds before Light cleared his throat. “May I stay here for the night?” he asked with as much of his charm and politeness he could muster.

The lady shook her head. “I—uh. Of course. Let me get Lady Misa. She’s the innkeeper.”

“Thank you.”

“Welcome to the Slaughtered Prince Inn, by the way. I hope you’ll enjoy your stay here.”

~~~~~~~~

L stood in the middle of an endless expanse of featureless white in all directions, as far as he could see. No matter how far he ran, or where he ran toward, L felt like he wasn’t going anywhere. He was utterly alone and helpless.

 _Is this the work of magic again? I am really starting to distrust anyone with magical abilities._ L stopped momentarily to catch his breath. _What am I doing here? How did I get here?_

“I’ve been waiting for you, L.” L jolted and turned around to meet the first face he had seen since he had found himself in the white... place.

It belonged to a short woman wearing a flowing white dress and short brown hair.

“Where am I?” L asked, his entire body on guard. He had already shifted into a familiar fighting stance and his hands were drawn up protectively. “Is this a dream?”

“In a way, yes. You could say that everything you see here is a result of your altered state of consciousness. Your physical body is still in the mortal realm. The rest of you is deep in slumber, but I’ve managed to pull a part of your subconscious so I could talk to you. It wasn’t easy, I had to call in some favors from an old friend,” she replied. “I don’t have any ordinary means of contacting you directly.”

L lowered his hands. “You did that just to talk to me? What did you need to tell me so badly?”

“I had to do it. I was worried about my son.” The woman dropped her eyes to the ground. Or what seemed like the ground, anyway, in this barren white place. “Oh. It escaped my notice that I know your identity, but you do not know mine. I am Light’s mother, Sachiko.”

“You’re Light’s mother?” L said disbelievingly. “Stars have mothers?”

“Yes. Stars have parents, in a way. But our version of 'family' is very much unlike the humans'.”

“How so?”

“My kind is born from the dust of our fallen. For Light and my other child, Sayu, to live, I had to offer my life to birth them. Light was born from mine and my husband’s stardust.”

L furrowed his brows. “Are you implying that you had to die in order for your children to live?”

“Yes, dear child.”

“Then how are you speaking to me now? Am I in heaven?” This time Sachiko chuckled.

“No, no, silly one. Heaven is a place reserved for mortals. It is a place beyond my reach. Beings that live as long as I, who are immortal in almost every sense of the word, do not have anything to do with such a place. Even I do not know where a human’s soul goes when it leaves the mortal world forever," she said in a melancholic voice. "Stars are unique. I simply had to detach myself from the celestial realm when I had given up my life for my children. I do not “exist” anymore in the traditional sense. This place occupies the same area as the world you reside in, but just in another plane of reality. Time and space hold no meaning here. I cannot physically appear in your world, but I still see what goes on there. Not quite heaven, but its my own paradise all the same.”

“Are there are other people or things here? It seems barren for a paradise.”

“This place appears to you like this, bare and empty, because you are not meant to be here. If you could truly see this place for what it is, you’ll agree that it is quite beautiful.” Sachiko's eyes were glazed and unfocused, like she was staring at something that L couldn't see.

“We are getting off topic,” L stated. “You came to me about Light. But he has left me, for good I believe.”

“After you had tied him to a tree and left him for several hours,” she replied ruefully.

“I apologize for that,” he said genuinely. “I should not have viewed him as a specimen to observe. I should have taken him into account. But the fact remains that your son and I have parted ways—and not amicably, I might add. I doubt that his reaction upon seeing me would be anything except extreme anger and annoyance.”

“I’ve noticed that about him,” Sachiko mumbled softly. “He didn’t use to hate humans so passionately. It changed when…” she trailed off.  

L fell silent. Then, in a thoughtful tone, he said, “Light has such… strong views about us. Tell me, who was the one who taught him about humanity?”

Sachiko smiled slightly and shook her head. “No one did. It all happened when the humans had their war— _the_ war. Before that war, he used to watch humanity, he used to care. Light had never gone through a period of apathy when it came to your kind. He has always had a strong sentiment about humans, whether they be positive or negative. The other stars, myself included, did not have much of an opinion on humanity. You might think my statement is harsh, but we accepted you—we understood you; we understood how impure humanity could become, and also how beautiful. We marveled and wondered about your capacity for change, when we ourselves were static and unchanging. But that was the extent of our interest. Light was different. Humans’ mannerisms stunned him, captivated him, and at times it enraged him. For all his knowledge and intelligence, it escaped his understanding. When we were content to let humanity be, Light could not help but be gravitated towards you.

“Light is but an infant in our standards. Barely three thousand years did he come into being, and his sister even later. He has a very naïve view of justice and a very limited view of what goes on in your world. He is so young, yet so disillusioned. He thinks he has seen all that your race has to offer, and all he has remembered is the bloodshed, horror, and suffering that your people has inflicted on their own kind. He has forgotten the kindness, courage and love that humanity is capable of. I fear that this twisted belief of his will haunt him for the rest of his life. This is why his fall to Earth is not just a curse, but a blessing in disguise. L, _you_ are the human chosen by the fates to lead my son to safety. Will you help him?”

L gaped. “I do not believe in fate. Besides, I told you that your son has left me without a word. I will not be able to find him even if I want to.”

Sachiko suddenly gripped L’s shoulders and forced him to look at her in the eyes. _“Will you help him?”_

When a stunned L gave no reply, she continued, “I know that Light had left. I was the one who sent him the unicorn that would grant him a safer and faster passage to your destination. But Light has been mistakenly led to a trap that could cost him his life. He is with a Kira.”

“What is a Kira?” L finally spoke.

“I wouldn’t expect either of you to know. The Kiras are a deadly force created by the Shinigami many years after Light had stopped watching your kind. And you, well—you just came to our world less than a day ago.”

“What is a Shinigami?” L blurted. “Wait, how did you know I came from—”

“I’ve been watching the two of you,” she interrupted. “I haven’t been watching you for long, but I can feel in my heart that you are a capable and wise man. Listen to me very carefully, L. Light does not have much time. He’s in a Kira’s clutches. This Kira has been hunting him down ever since he had fallen from the sky. If the Kira succeeds in getting what she wants, Light would die. They will cut out his heart to harvest its magic.

“This is not the first time it happened. Back when Light’s age could be counted in decades, I talked to him once, much like I am talking to you now.  I told him the story of the first star who fell to Earth. Her heart was cut out by greedy humans looking to make themselves immortal. And the Shinigami are no different. If they get him, they will have unimaginable power in their hands. I don’t even want to know what will happen once they get ahold of his heart. There will be untold numbers of death, destruction and chaos.”

L swallowed and gave a tiny nod. Sachiko let go of L and gazed at him with a grave expression on her face.

 “I understand. I shall save your son, whatever it takes.” L said. “I need to go immediately. If it’s alright with you, I would like to wake up now.”

“Before you go, one last thing. I don’t think you’ll remember much of our conversation,” Sachiko said sadly. “I am talking to your subconscious after all. But I _need_ you to remember. When I say that Light is in danger, and you are the only one who can help him, I am not only talking about the Shinigami.”

L gave her another confused look. Sachiko was making less and less sense the longer their conversation went. “Can you not be so cryptic?”

 She sighed as if there was something obvious he was missing. “He needs _you._ Please hurry, future prince of Stormhold.” Before he could react, Sachiko snapped her fingers. L was instantly dragged away from her, from the blank whiteness of her home and into the darkness.

L awoke with only one thought in his mind.

_Light was in danger._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> L learns a little bit about Light! Hmm, is that going to make him act any less of a lil' shit? (hint: no)


End file.
